Skin Deep
by sciencekills
Summary: One simple mistake lands Uchiha Itachi in a world of unpleasantries. What is this strange place? Who is this spirited blonde-haired girl with lavender eyes? And why must fate have such an ironic sense of humor? ItachixOC
1. Chapter 1

After all, beauty is much more than skin deep.

* * *

Blood poured from Uchiha Itachi's side as he ran across the forest-filled mountainside, hair whipping in the wind. He struggled to control his ragged breathing, Hoshigake Kisame running beside him and Amegakure assassins not far behind them.

The Akatsuki continued fleeing, trying to find a more open place to fight. The forest was a perfect place for an ambush, especially since they were unfamiliar with this particular one. At last, after much dodging and careful hiding, Itachi and Kisame momentarily lost their pursuers.

"There has to be an easier way to do this," Kisame growled, he and Itachi pressing themselves against respective trees. "Give me five minutes and I'll have them all shredded!"

Itachi didn't reply immediately, knowing his voice would shake if he did. His rib cage burned in protest. "We will need to work with what we have," Itachi stated, collecting himself. "This forest cannot go on forever. We will continue on for a bit longer."

The shark eyed the panting Uchiha. Sweat dripped from his brow, betraying his hidden strain. Kisame's gaze rested on a growing splotch on the side of his partner's uniform. Even through the black material, he could see the bloodstain.

"They injured you?"

"I'm fine."

"Itachi—"

"I said, I'm—fine…" Itachi trailed off as Kisame yanked the Uchiha's hand from his side, revealing the tear in his uniform and the bloody palm of his hand.

"They've caught up." Kisame glanced to see the shinobi team closing in from all directions, even above. "We should get a move on. There will be no hope of finishing the mission if we do not leave quickly," Itachi said. Kisame grudgingly obeyed.

Minutes later, the Akatsuki stumbled on a clearing. It wasn't an open field, but a rocky cliff side with more woodland below. Nonetheless, the upper area lacked trees, so close enough. Now, enemies could not hide themselves amid the foliage, and the Akatsuki could fight properly.

"Don't do anything reckless," Itachi murmured.

The taller man scoffed as he removed Samehada from its harness. "Speak for yourself."

The shinobi team had them cornered now, and the battle commenced. Half of the group attacked Kisame and the rest targeted Itachi.

Itachi captured his first opponent in the Mangekyou sharingan. Two others assaulted him with katanas, one already stained with his blood.

The Uchiha's limbs quivered as he parried the blades with a kunai. He caught a glimpse of a fourth ninja performing hand signs for a fire jutsu. With crimson eyes, Itachi copied him.

The twin fireballs met and devoured each other, canceling the jutsu. The unknown Ame shinobi began more seals.

Itachi copied two more jutsu, both of them water, before his vision darkened. Five hazy figures ran toward him, weapons raised. In this state, he was painfully aware he couldn't block all of them.

He closed his eyes, waiting for them to come just a bit closer. A tear of blood slid from his left eye.

_Amaterasu!_

A wall of black flames sprang from the ground, consuming three of the five who hadn't jumped back in time. Screams ripped from his victims.

Itachi had no time to celebrate his victory as another wave of wooziness swept over him. He staggered back, one hand clutching his bleeding eye while the other remained glued to his side.

To make matters worse, the darkness engulfing his vision prevented him from noticing his foot placement on the edge of the cliff. His rear foot staggered back onto thin air, and with nothing to steady himself on, the Uchiha lost his balance, the hungry onyx tongues separating him from both help and harm. The next thing Itachi knew, he was falling.

Kisame's silver orbs widened as his half-conscious partner plummeted over the edge.

"ITACHI!"

* * *

"ITACHI!" A different voice screamed the Uchiha's name in his head, overpowering Kisame's. The face of a small raven-haired boy filled Itachi's mind. The child's innocent black eyes pleaded.

"Niisan!" he screamed again.

_Sasuke…_

Itachi barely retained consciousness. Death sweetly whispered temptations to give up and let it happen, but he fought it. He couldn't die here.

With renewed determination, Itachi's hands fought the air current to form the tiger seal. But, before he could continue, pain shot through his lower back as a large tree branch with sharp, knife-like twigs interrupted his fall.

A spew of blood left the Uchiha's mouth, his eyes and mouth shooting open. He fell the rest of the way unconscious, resolution gone with his awareness.

He met the ground with a sickening _thud_. The shinobi lay still as a rock, almost managing to blend in as one. A crimson pool slowly engulfed his motionless form.

He was alive but barely.

* * *

A pair of sandaled feet padded through the forest as strands of pale blonde hair whipped in the breeze. Seventeen-year-old Hyuuga Akira grumbled to herself as she walked, a small half-filled plant container clutched in her left hand.

"Kaede-sensei… why did you have to send _me _to find more forest herbs?" The blonde stooped over to examine and then uproot another plant. "Why couldn't it have been someone else?" she finished with a sigh, rising to resume her search.

One of the proud students of Karasuma Kaede, the most accomplished healer in the Whirlpool Village and older sister of their village's political head, Karasuma Hayato, Akira only resented her training when sent to the forest to restock the herb supply, an admittedly necessary, but boring task. She'd rather be in the clinic healing injuries, which she scarcely did with her current training program.

"Okay…" Whipping out a list from her pocket, Akira did a mental checklist. "I need two more Akebia, one more Suikazura, and at least one—"

The container flew from Akira's fingers as she tripped and instinctively brought up her hands to absorb the impact. She hit the ground with an echoing _crash_.

"Itai," Akira winced, gingerly pushing herself to her knees. _Dammit, what made me trip? _Her glaring eyes descended to a large, oddly-shaped rock at her blinked several times, wondering if she were seeing things.

Not a rock…. a person? By the looks of it, he hadn't been lying there for long, maybe a few hours. The Hyuuga girl inched closer and raised a tentative hand to check his vitals. She froze midway. Something red stained her hand.

_Blood._

Akira quickly examined her knees and other hand to find she'd fallen into a puddle of the stuff.

The source of her predicament, at first glance, seemed dead already, but, upon closer inspection, a faint rise and fall to his stomach refuted her assumption. He looked much older than her with those lines beneath his eyes, but the rest of him was young. Long raven locks framed a pale, ashen face and a scratched out leaf headband adorned his forehead. Twin trails of blood ran from his mouth, and, oddly enough, another from his left eye.

He wore a high-collared black cloak with red clouds, which concealed most of his lower body, save for the gaping wound where a great deal of blood had already pooled and dried.

_What happened? _Akira wondered, her gaze ascending to a trail of oddly broken tree branches.

"He must have fallen." It would explain all the scratches, although someone with a knife or sword had probably mugged him at the top of the cliff and shoved him off for good measure.

Assessment completed, Akira acted. She hadn't spent hours training and pouring over text books to just let some stranger die. Unforunately, though, she would have to take him home to treat him. The village hospital was far, and her domestic medical stash contained what she needed. So, as gently as possible, Akira slumped the Uchiha onto her back and struggled to her feet.

_He's heavier than I expected._

With newfound urgency, Akira started running. On the bright side, all his bones were intact thanks to the branches he'd run into on his way, although if she didn't hurry he would still bleed to death.

Her original mission of herb gathering lay forgotten with the abandoned plant container.

* * *

Itachi's consciousness ebbed back to him in addition to the pain unconsciousness had graciously smothered. As usual, his eyelids felt heavy and throbbed painfully, but not-so-usually, every joint in his body ached like he had been asleep for a month.

Itachi's train of thought came to a screeching stop when he felt something cool and smooth being pressed against his lips. He couldn't bring himself to open his eyes yet, but moments later, a refreshing liquid slipped down his parched throat. Come to think of it, he did feel rather thirsty… Wait—

The Uchiha's eyelids flew open, revealing the brilliant red irises of his sharingan.

He sprang into a sitting position, momentarily hindered by a shooting pain in his abdomen. He ignored it, and, in the process, violently seized his attacker's wrist. But, before he could cough out a demand, he—literally—began coughing up whatever had just been poured down his throat, releasing her wrist in the process.

Itachi did a double-take.

Wait, _her_?

"Great, just what I need!" she hissed, clutching her left wrist, which glared with a finger-shaped bruise.

Itachi raised a dark eyebrow. He watched as her opposite hand lit up with a bright green glow. Still frowning, she pressed her illuminated digits onto the mark.

_A healing ninja?_ Itachi's vision finally focused enough for him to assess her features. His coal black eyes met the most brilliant pair of lavender orbs he'd seen since Konoha. Long strands of pastel blonde hair framed a delicate face currently contorted in an angry glare. He couldn't see too clearly, but from he could guess, she looked to be about his age.

Eyes darting side to side, Itachi examined his surroundings. He lay in a bed with light blue sheets and fluffy pillows, much like a girl would use. It even smelled feminine. The physical room was a standard Japanese bed chamber with paper walls and a hardwood floor. Aside from the bed, there was a nightstand, dresser, desk and closet. Paintings and kanji decorated the walls in addition to a dartboard protruding with kunai and shuriken.

Upon examining himself, however, new questions arose in Itachi's mind: what was he doing here, and why was he half naked with bandages around his lower torso?

A red stain seeped through the white linen, jogging his memory. He and Kisame had been running, one of the pursuing Ame nins had stabbed him, then he'd been stupid enough to ignore his limits and fell off that cliff as a result.

Itachi turned his attention back to the fuming blonde. Now how did she fit into all this?

"Where am I?" Itachi asked in the calmest tone he could muster.

"You're in the Whirlpool Village, and, more specifically, _my_ house," she informed, glaring.

_Whirlpool Village?_

"And what the hell do you think doing?!" she snapped, motioning to a small puddle of water on the floor intermingled with shards of what used to be a drinking glass.

_What the…?_

"I didn't save your life so that you could attack me and break my stuff!"

Much to his surprise, the girl did not turn to the shattered pieces. She instead reached for an overturned picture previously out of his line of vision, revealing a family photo of a little blonde girl with her parents. Despite her straight face, a glint of pain reflected in her eyes, but only for a second. Itachi knew that pain—the pain of someone who'd lost everything.

_Her parents must be dead._ An unfortunately common occurrence among shinobi.

Wordlessly, she replaced the frame in its proper place on her nightstand next to another picture Itachi made a mental note to examine later.

"As I was saying," she turned back to him with renewed annoyance. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"You can never be too careful," he replied coolly.

"Did you think I was trying to poison you or something?"

Itachi didn't reply this time.

_Well, you can never be too careful._

"You were semi-conscious, so I was giving you water to keep you hydrated," she stated matter-of-factly. "I don't exactly have an IV lying around. Besides, do you honestly think I'd waste three days of work just for that?"

Itachi sat there for a second, dumbstruck. Did this girl not know who he was? Judging by his current clothing, she'd already seen his Akatsuki cloak, and, not only that, his face was in practically every bingo book out there. How could she not know his identity?

The blonde cleared her throat, bringing him back to reality. She seemed calmer, but then again, she had also forgotten the shards of glass on the floor. Still, he should count his blessings. At least, for the time being, he didn't have to worry about any bounty hunters jeopardizing his life.

"Well, I should probably start by introducing myself." Her lips twisted into a friendly smile, which, although genuine, unnerved him considering her previous mood. "I'm Hyuuga Akira."

"Uchiha Itachi." Judging by her personality, she would have said or done something by now had she recognized him, so why not use his real name? It would make for a more interesting tale to tell Kisame.

Speaking of the shark, Kisame was either on his way back to Akatsuki or searching for Itachi's nonexistent corpse. Knowing him, it was probably the latter. His stubborn partner didn't tend to believe anything unless he confirmed it himself.

"So I've been unconscious for three days?" Itachi finally said. Unsurprisingly, awkwardness lingered.

"Yeah… on and off." The awkwardness reinforced in Akira's tone. Itachi secretly hoped he hadn't talked in his sleep. "I managed to heal most of you injuries, but the wound on your stomach is rejecting my chakra. Do you know if you were injured with a poisoned weapon?"

Itachi thought back to the Ame nins he had fought. They were professionals. Of course they would poison their weapons.

"Most likely," Itachi replied. He couldn't come off too sure. She might ask more questions.

Her shoulders hunched in disappointment. "Just as I though."

"How am I still alive if I was poisoned?"

"Well, I know enough to make an antidote that counters the basic effects, but every time I try to heal you, the poison causes your body to reject my healing chakra."

"So basically I have to just sit and wait for this to heal naturally?"

"Not exactly. Your body is rejecting both my chakra as well as your body's own healing. It hasn't shown any improvement these past few days. In the least, I managed to help close it, but otherwise, you're stuck."

"And I could easily open it and bleed to death if I'm not careful," Itachi finished.

She smiled wryly. "Good to know you catch on quickly. If my theories are correct, you're now a glorified hemophiliac."

Itachi sighed, running a hand through his loose raven hair. This was getting complicated.

"Um, Itachi, was it?"

"Hn?" He mentally flinched at her use of his first name.

"I think I could make a better antidote for you, but it's going to take some time. I did the best I could on short notice, but I've never seen a poison like this before. I know it'd be inconvenient, but—"

"I have to stay here for a few days while you research the poison?"

"Depending on how complex it is, maybe even a few _weeks_. Sorry to say, but I'm no miracle worker."

Itachi didn't need to say anything for Akira to know this option displeased him. He knew healers in Konoha that could do better work in half that time!

"Hey, it's either that or bleed to death. Take your pick."

An image of Sasuke flashed through Itachi's head. As pleasant as bleeding to death sounded, he would have to grin and bear it. It would allow for some much-needed time to rest his sharingan.

"I accept your conditions," he said stiffly.

"Good then." Her face broke out into a grin. "Are you hungry?"

"Somewhat." Actually…

Side-stepping the shattered mess she had yet to clean up, Akira made her way to the door.

"Wait here. I'll be right back," she called, turning her head. The Uchiha's eyes, now crimson again, followed her until she walked out of sight.

So far, she seemed like a kind, bubbly person prone to mood swings. Undoutedly, his least favorite type of kunoichi to be around. Falling back onto the pillows, Itachi closed his eyes, mentally picturing Sasuke's face again.

What had he just gotten himself into?

* * *

"Damn…"

Kisame gazed up at the trail of broken tree branches leading back down to where he stood. Beside him lay an obvious imprint where Itachi's body had been. The proof was in his pocket. He'd found Itachi's Akatsuki ring as well.

But where had he gone?

After examining the evidence, the shark deduced two possibilities. One, being that Itachi had died here and some kind soul had been courteous enough to give him a proper burial, _or_—considering Kakuzu—they'd been smart enough to make use of the criminal's death and turn him in for a bounty.

Secondly, someone may have found Itachi in time. He could potentially be alive, but battered from his fall. The first choice was such an unfitting death for such a powerful man, but, then again, his second thought sounded absurd. As if the chance of Itachi being saved wasn't slim enough, but the mere image of his partner at the mercy of another human being brought an ironic smile to Kisame's lips.

Itachi had to be dead, but where was his body? Kisame couldn't, in his right mind, return to Akatsuki without proof of Itachi's death. Besides, even if he did, Pein would send him back to find some evidence, knowing their leader.

In spite of himself, Kisame chuckled.

Even in his death, that Uchiha still caused trouble for him.

* * *

A mildly pleased look reflected in Itachi's eyes as he chewed a mouthful of fried rice. That kunoichi had been taking her time, and he just found out why. She'd gone completely overboard with making him breakfast. She hadn't just cooked a meal, she'd prepared a mini-feast! But at least the taste was pleasant. Certainly better than anything he'd eaten at Akatsuki, save for the occasional stick of dango. She'd even made dessert.

"I may have gone a bit overboard." Akira laughed, nervously tapping her index fingers together. "I live alone, so I don't get many chances to cook for others."

"Hn." Itachi only half-listened to her ramblings. Why did women always have to be so chatty? Thankfully, Konan was an exception to that rule, but then again he would not be spending the next few days with the stoic paper kunoichi.

"Hey, are you even listening?"

He was stuck with this oddly hair-colored Hyuuga.

"Hn."

Akira twitched at his redundant answer. This was going to be a long recovery.

Two days passed, and, throughout that time, Itachi and Akira's personalities clashed nearly every second while Itachi made his best effort to heal as much as he could with the traces of poison plaguing his system.

On the first day, the Uchiha found the strength to get out of bed and take a shower, which Akira discovered afterfinishing her poison research for the day. She'd been initially alarmed upon finding her room empty and her bathroom mirror fogged from hot water use, but soon found Itachi on her living room couch, one of her books on medical herbs in hand.

Itachi made a personal commitment to contribute to her research as much as possible to avoid being dead weight while Akira did all the work and expedite creating the antidote. It was the second day now, but they were getting nowhere.

"Have you tried adding this to the mix?" Itachi suggested, pointing to one of the illustrations.

"Yes. Nothing happened," Akira said, defeatedly examining the seal in front of her. Every drop of every antidote she tried so far had done nothing to extinguish the sample of poison she'd placed on the seal.

"Hn."

The two sat in silence.

"Ita—" Akira began.

_Knock knock!_

The Hyuuga girl blinked in confusion at the interruption.

_Knock knock!_

"You should probably get the door."

"Y-yeah, right…" Akira found herself stuttering. "Stay here. I'll just be a minute."

Her cheeks burned red as she briskly walked toward the noise. _I'm probably just frustrated because we can't make a decent antidote,_ Akira reasoned, brushing off the emotion.

A smile graced the Hyuuga girl's lips when she recognized the chakra presences behind her door. She slid the wooden blockade to reveal her teammates.

"Kaname, Eri!" Akira's smile grew as she greeted the kunoichi. "What brings you here?"

Kaname, the more extroverted of the two, stepped forward, her emerald eyes glinting beneath rich copper bangs. "We came to visit you! We haven't seen you all weekend!"

Akira nervously smiled at her friends. Her mind flickered back to Itachi awaiting her return in the study, but, after meeting Eri's soft chocolate gaze, she forgot all thoughts concerning the Uchiha. As long as he stayed there like she told him to, she shouldn't have to worry about her friends finding him.

She shuddered to think of what would happen if Kaname and Eri discovered her having a male roommate for the next few days. She planned to tell them, but just not now.

"Sorry, guys. I've been busy lately," Akira admitted, convincing herself that taking care of an egotistical Uchiha was actually very hard work. _Technically_ she wasn't lying through her teeth. "Why don't you come in and I'll make some tea. We can talk or study or whatever, I guess."

Eri smiled back as she brushed a strand of wavy ebony hair behind her ear.

The three of them now sat comfortably around Akira's dining room table, cups in hand.

"That's the stuff!" Kaname sighed in contentment after taking a refreshing gulp. "So, Akira, what have you been up to?"

"Nothing really," Akira said as she poured the steaming liquid into Eri's empty cup before filling her own. "Mostly research."

_Please, Itachi, just stay in the damn room!_ Akira pleaded as she "calmly" set the teapot down on the table. "Well, enough about me. How did you guys spend your day off?"

Their sensei, a middle-aged woman named of Kaede, had conveniently cancelled healing class for them that Friday, the same day Itachi regained consciousness. It had been unexpected, but fortunate for Akira.

"I slept in!" Kaname declared.

"How about you, Eri?" Akira turned to her more soft-spoken friend, whose fingers delicately wrapped around her teacup for warmth.

"My parents had a bit of a dilemma with someone trying to break into their house," she said before taking a sip of her tea. "Thankfully, nothing was taken, but I still dropped by to see them."

"Leave it to Eri to always help out someone in need!" Kaname grinned. "Although it sucks that you couldn't enjoy your vacation fully."

Eri shook her head. "It was all resolved, so I don't regret it. They are my parents, after all."

"Still, that was nice of you," Akira pointed out. "But at least you had the weekend. What'd you do then?"

"Housecleaning," Eri replied. "After my usual training, of course. I studied a bit before bed, too."

"Sounds eventful enough." Kaname shrugged. "Rather than training, I rested yesterday. I should get back into my usual routine today, but Kaede keeps us so busy with homework!"

The three of them continued catching up, and, due to the casualness of it all, Akira began relaxing. But, just as Kaname brought on the topic of "How come there aren't any good men in this village?" Akira suddenly became very aware of their seating arrangements.

For one, Eri had her back to the doorway leading to the hallway, and Kaname, who still blabbered on, sat to her left. Akira faced the doorway, her jaw on the floor. A certain Uchiha had come out to see if she was done talking yet.

It was everything Akira could do to keep from screaming. Just when she'd managed to forget her worries for a few short minutes, this idiot came waltzing back in! Now she not only had to worry about her friends seeing him, but she also had to figure out a way to get him back into her study and make him stay there withouther friends knowing.

"Akira, are you all right?" Eri interrupted the Hyuuga girl's thoughts.

Her face had been clearly displaying her feelings of intense rage. "Oh, I'm fine. Sorry, I was just thinking about something unpleasant," she covered, waving her hand for emphasis. "What was it you were saying again, Kaname?"

While Kaname continued and held Eri's attention, Akira took advantage of the moment to glare death at Itachi. Jerking her head to the side, she made an expressive gesture with her eyebrows and clearly mouthed, "Get out!"

He didn't budge.

"Eh?" Kaname noticed Akira's antics from the corner of her eye. Like any normal person, she looked over to see what the problem was.

Then all hell broke loose.

Kaname yelped and proceeded to fling the first object she could grab, being her cup, at the Uchiha. He smoothly sidestepped, and the cup shattered against the wall, further infuriating the Hyuuga girl.

"Not again!" Akira groaned. Itachi had already broken a drinking glass. At this rate, she would need a new set of dishware by the time this was over. "Kaname, stop it!" Akira jumped to her feet and ran into front of Itachi, her arms extended.

"Akira, who is this?" Eri inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Um…" Akira trailed off, her speech failing her. How exactly was she supposed to explain this?

"A word!" Akira seized Itachi's wrist and dragged him into the hallway.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she hissed once they were in privacy.

"Your minute turned into an entire hour," Itachi stated. "I was wondering when you were planning to return."

"As if it wasn't obvious! Haven't you ever heard of social graces? And would you mind notscaring my friends?"

"It was not 'obvious,' as you say," he replied. "And considering the amount of time they've been here, I'd assumed you mentioned me."

"Mentioned?" Akira seethed. "'Mentioned,' you say? '_Mention_' what exactly? That I found some ungrateful drag queen bleeding to death in the woods, and, out of the kindness of my heart, I decided to save his life, but turns out he can't leave just yet? Yeah, like they'd believe that!"

Itachi's mouth twitched into a rare expression. _"Ungrateful drag queen?"_ Even Hidan didn't have the nerve to call him such names. He maintained his composure through a dark glare.

"I do not appreciate such name calling—"

"Sorry to interrupt, but what the hell is going on?"

The pair turned to see Kaname and Eri poking their heads through the doorway.

Akira palmed her forehead. What had she done to deserve this?

"Itachi, listen carefully. Go into my room and stay there while I explain this complete misunderstanding to my friends." She scowled for emphasis. "Is. That. Clear?"

Itachi held back a sigh. He held no desire to further drag this out in the company of others. "Don't take too long." His parting words echoed in Akira's mind as she turned back to Kaname and Eri.

"Um… could we go back into the other room?" Akira requested, pinching her index fingers together.

* * *

It required a considerable amount of self-control for Itachi to calm down as he barricaded himself in the Hyuuga girl's room. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so flustered. He could see where Akira had gotten her temper from, or at least who one of her influences was. That brown-haired friend of hers also had quite the throwing arm.

The Uchiha plopped onto the bed as a sudden wave of dizziness overtook him. Now his head was spinning in addition to his throbbing wounds.

To distract himself, Itachi fixated his attention on Akira's nightstand. Two familiar picture frames caught his eye. He recognized the first as the photograph he'd accidentally knocked over upon waking three days ago—the one of Akira's likely deceased family. Akira looked roughly ten-years-old in this picture. Her hairstyle was the same waist-length braid as present-time, but she had a certain radiance about her lost in the girl he knew today.

Her father's eyes matched hers. He was undoubtedly the proud donor of her Hyuuga genes. He looked like a Hyuuga, with his facial structure and long dark brown hair, but, unlike most Hyuugas Itachi knew, he had a softer, more fatherly expression on his face.

Her mother looked more like her, although her eyes sparkled blue instead of lavender. Their hair colors matched, but her mother's hair length fell shorter than Akira's, and she donned a ponytail instead of a braid.

From one glance, Itachi could already tell why Akira missed her parents so much. With a family like that, who wouldn't? Even with his poor eyesight, he could see their love for each other.

His gaze lingered on the picture. The longer he stared at their faces, the more he felt like he'd seen them before. Had he brushed by them on a mission, perhaps? Unlikely, though, considering he'd never heard of tiny water village before.

His musings cut short when he turned his attention to the second photograph. This one also had Akira, but the two girls he'd seen sitting at the table replaced her parents.

The three of them looked about twelve, whereas they were more around seventeen now. Akira's copper-haired friend stood to her left, clad in a green dress and pale brown apron. Her angular cut bangs leaned over the left side of her forehead, the pointed strands covering one eyebrow while the remainder of her hair pooled down to the small of her back.

The more shy-looking girl, Eri, stood to Akira's right. A soft smile graced her lips while innocent, deep brown eyes stared back at him. Her hair looked soft and wavy, but not overly curly. It reminded him of Kurenai's hair. Her outfit consisted of a long-sleeved red shirt and black pants with a standard kunai holster and bandages fastened to her right leg. Simple, but practical.

The three of them looked more shinobi-like in this picture than they did today, which Itachi blamed on their lack of headbands and weaponry. Each girl donned a cloth embroidered metal plate with an engraving he had never seen before: three swirls connected in a way that made them resemble whirlpools.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Kaname began, rubbing her temples to soothe an impending headache from information-overload, "you found that guy unconscious and bleeding to death in the middle of the woods?"

"Yep."

"And you saved his life…"

"Yep."

"And these past few days, you've been busily searching for a cure from a poison that's preventing this Itachi from making a full recovery?"

"Yes!" Akira finished, exasperated.

Both of her friends gave her dubious looks.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"When did you plan on mentioning this?" Eri inquired.

"I didn't want to tell you guys about this until he woke up, well, in case he, you know, _died_…"

"But he's awake now," Kaname remarked, frowning slightly.

Akira sighed. This conversation was far from over.

"He woke up on Friday, and since we didn't have any official training scheduled, I figured I'd tell you this Monday."

Another set of dubious looks.

"Okay, so I was _considering _it," Akira admitted. "But really, I wasn't trying to keep secrets. I just didn't want you to worry about me."

A comforting hand touched Akira's shoulder. "We believe you, Akira," Eri assured. "We just don't want you to get hurt."

"Not just that, I want one, too!" Kaname added.

Akira froze. "_What_?"

"Oh come on, Akira, don't tell me you haven't thought about it. Good men like that don't just fall from the sky!"

"Off of cliffs, maybe," Akira muttered before returning to her normal tone of voice. "Kaname, I haven't got the slightest interest in that moody Uchiha."

"But he's so handsome!" Kaname protested. "Not only that, he's got a sexy voice!"

Akira's cheeks bloomed with color. Admittedly, Itachi wasn't a bad-looking man, but she would never quite label anything about him as "sexy."

"Kaname does have a point, you know," Eri said.

"Eri!" Akira gawked at her friend. Kaname she would understand, but she hadn't thought Eri capable of even agreeing with such things!

"Well, one way or another, you'll have to properly introduce us some time," Kaname said, winking suggestively.

Akira rolled her eyes. "No."

"Oh, come on. You mentioned he might be here for a while."

"Itachi is here for healing purposes and healing purposes _alone_."

"That could change," Kaname pointed out. Eri giggled like a schoolgirl.

"You know what, see you guys tomorrow," Akira said flatly. "I have an impending problem to deal with that begins with cleaning up a broken cup and will most likely result in someone's death!"

"Tell us all about it tomorrow!" Kaname called as she and Eri slipped on their shoes.

"Good luck," Eri added.

The door shut and her friends left to head back to their own houses.

"I'm certainly going to need it," Akira mumbled as she walked away to find a broom to clean up the shards of ceramic. She finished this task in a matter of minutes. Now to attend to the second half of her problem.

"Itachi?" Akira whispered, tentatively opening the door to her room. She noted a black blob in the shape of a man collapsed on her bed. "Itachi?" she called again.

That was odd… she didn't think he'd fall asleep so quickly.

She inched forward, making sure to keep both hands up in case he suddenly woke up and tried to bruise her wrist again. Thankfully, nothing happened.

Akira placed a hand on the Uchiha's pale forehead. He seemed warmer than usual. She glanced away for a second to check the time. Her heart nearly stopped when she looked back to find two narrowed black beads meeting her gaze.

"What are you doing?"

"Eh?" She still had her hand on his forehead.

"Checking your temperature," she replied casually, trying to ignore the raging blush on her cheeks. Dammit, she'd honestly thought he'd been asleep!

"Your friends are gone I take it?"

"Yep, and next time they'd like a proper introduction. Looks like you got lucky."

"Hn."

Akira tried to think of something else to say, but Itachi beat her to it.

"That Kaname friend of yours is quite a character."

"I'd appreciate if no one else broke any more of my dishes, though."

"Shouldn't you know it's rude to talk about people behind their back?"

Akira froze. "Come again?"

A smirk played on Itachi's lips.

_Oh Kami, he didn't. _He'd overheard Kaname's "sexy" comment, hadn't he?

"D-don't hold it against them. They're teenage girls! It's normal, right?" Akira reasoned, trying but failing to hide her worsening blush.

"As are you."

"Shut up. You've got a slight fever, and you need to rest before I knock you out. Besides, I have more research to do, not to mention homework for tomorrow's class!"

"Whatever you say." His eyes still seemed to be smirking although his lips weren't.

Why hadn't she just closed the door upon dragging him in here?

"I'll wake you in an hour for dinner. Until then, Itachi, please try to get some rest. Both of us should stay out of trouble that way."

"Hn. Itachi's eyes were closed, but he knew Akira twitched. Apparently, his short answer frustrated her. She exited the room and closed the door softly behind her, isolating Itachi.

To be quite honest, Itachi felt quite flattered at her friends' comments. Although this wasn't the first time he'd been called such things, he knew not to let it go to his head. They reminded him of a bunch of giddy, naïve schoolgirls, somewhat akin to his former fan club in Konoha.

As for Akira, that girl possessed such little control over her emotions that Itachi wondered how she had managed to make it this far as a kunoichi, at least in the word he grew up in. Maybe it was just a façade, like the one he always put up. He hoped, in the least, there proved to be more to these kunoichi than met the eye.

As Itachi's consciousness ebbed away, a single thought still weighed on his mind. Ever since he laid eyes on that family photo, he couldn't shake the familiar notion he felt around Akira. Surely he would remember meeting someone with this much attitude.

Even in his feverish state, his mind and deduction skills were sharp. Why did he have this strange, unexplainable feeling about the girl?

* * *

Well, it's a start. If you have nothing nice to say, please keep it to yourself!


	2. Chapter 2

Finally an update. Special thanks to all who reviewed, followed and favorited!

* * *

"Kaname," Eri began, "is it just me or has Akira seemed more tired than usual lately?"

The two girls continued down the path to their neighboring houses. They were heading home from a healing lessons on a warm Friday afternoon. Akira hadn't walked home with them that day, giving the excuse that she had errands to run in town.

"I agree," Kaname said. "Do think it's because of him?"

The dark-haired kunoichi nodded. "That would be my best guess. He and Akira don't seem to get along very well."

"I don't see how," Kaname muttered. "Sexiest guy I've ever met."

"I'm sure Akira wouldn't be happy to hear you say that." Eri frowned. "Looks aren't everything. Besides, someone might hear us."

Kaname's tone became sarcastic. "Right. And who, other than us, would be headed down this way that only leads to our houses? Please, Eri."

"I just think we should be careful."

Unaware of the figure trailing behind them, the girls dropped the subject of Uchiha Itachi and transitioned to a less suspicious topic.

_What's this about Akira and a sexy guy?_ the figure thought with sparked interest.

* * *

The front door creaked open as a familiar chakra presence flickered to life on Itachi's radar.

"I-ta-chi!"

The Uchiha flinched as the syllables of his name resonated through the house. Akira was back from her healing lesson. Reluctantly, he closed the book he'd been reading, carefully pushed himself off the couch in Akira's study and walked out to greet her.

He arrived to see Akira kicking off her shoes before she burst into the dining room. His vision shifted to a mass of plastic bags she lugged with her.

"Hey, I did a little shopping for you!" A grin plastered her face. Whatever could she have bought? His blood ran cold when she brought out a gray T-shirt from one of the bags that looked much too big for her petite frame.

"Here, tell me what fits and what doesn't." Still grinning, she thrust the bag and T-shirt into his hands. Itachi stood motionless for a few seconds.

"It was unnecessary to go shopping for me," he stated.

"You're welcome," she retorted. "I figured you may appreciate something other than the two sets of clothes you currently have."

Itachi tried not to think about what other surprises resided in those bags.

Unfortunately, as much as Itachi hated to admit it, she was right. They were nowhere near to discovering the antidote, and he had been here a full week now. Needless to say, Akira was tired of doing so much laundry, and he was in dire need of some new clothing.

At lunchtime, Itachi appeared dressed in a mesh shirt, similar to the one he wore back at Akatsuki, and a pair of dark brown pants. His trademark necklace glinted on his neck, and, as usual, his long dark hair was gathered back in a ponytail. She had been a surprisingly good judge of the wardrobe he liked, although it unnerved him how everything fit perfectly.

"You look better," she commented, scanning him from head to toe. "Did I forget anything?"

"No. Thank you."

The two of them casually made their way out to the table Akira prepared. They sat down, but Itachi raised an eyebrow when he noticed she'd brought a textbook with her. She flipped through the pages between bites, jotting down notes as if she were studying for a test.

"What are you doing?"

His words burst her concentration bubble. "What?"

"What are you doing?" he repeated. "Can't you study later?"

"Stop complaining, this isn't school work." She frowned. "I've come up with another possible antidote for you."

"When will you be able to test it out?"

"Heh heh, about that…" She laughed nervously. "I left the seal with Kaede-sensei."

"You _what_?"

"I brought it to Kaede-sensei a little while ago to see if I could get some help."

Minus the genjutsu, Itachi shot her one of his infamous looks.

"Don't give me that. I didn't tell her about you. I just mentioned I discovered a new poison from a nearby village that doesn't have an antidote yet."

"And this 'Kaede-sensei' of yours willingly agreed to help you on such vague information?"

Akira frowned again. "I was more descriptive than that, but that's the gist of it. Besides, we can still test it."

"And how do you propose we do this?"

Akira sighed, closing her books before pushing them aside. "Let's worry about this after lunch, okay?"

"Hn."

Sure enough, once their afternoon meal finished, Akira set to work on concocting the new antidote. Itachi, of course, returned to her study to read, only to be called back two hours later.

"This may taste a bit unpleasant," Akira warned as she handed him a glass of what looked like regurgitated green goo. Itachi tried not to shiver when the putrid smell wafted into his nostrils.

"And try not to spill any," she added.

Itachi resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he brought the cup to his lips. Sure enough, the antidote tasted as bad as it looked. He somehow glulped the substance without gagging, but he owed it to prior experience of taking nasty medicine.

Lips pursed, Itachi wiped his mouth and handed her back the cup. His wound still throbbed painfully, but he doubted the effects were instantaneous.

"Itachi," Akira began.

"Hn?"

"You're a ninja, right?"

"And?"

"Just making sure." She paused. "I think we should be able to test the effectiveness if you train for a bit, and then see how you feel. There's a place nearby where we can train."

"And if I reopen my wounds?"

"Then, if it did work, I'll be able to heal you, and you can be on your way!" She grinned, although, for some reason, her smile looked fake.

"Hn. When do we start?"

She looked at him disapprovingly. "At least give the antidote some time to work. Go sit down and read or something. I need to get ready."

_And for what I wonder? _Itachi thought as he made his way back to Akira's study.

He really hoped this would work.

"Itachi!"

True to her word, half an hour later, Akira came back to find him, although this time, she was dressed in what Itachi assumed was her ninja outfit.

Her outfit was identical to the one he'd seen in the picture of the Akira and her team. A shinobi headband gleamed on her forehead, giving her a more ninja-esque look while a medium-sleeved light blue shirt embodied her upper torso. To represent her clan, she had yellow patches embroidered with the Hyuuga symbol on each arm.

Underneath that, a tight black shirt covered the remaining skin of her arms and the base of her neck. A dark blue sash, probably lined with hidden scrolls and weaponry, hugged her waist while light blue pants matching the color her top overlay another pair of tight black pants covering the rest of her ankles.

Against his better judgment, Itachi decided not to comment on her wardrobe change. "Finally back I see."

"Shut up," she snapped, sounding embarrassed. "Let's go."

Once outside, she led him to a clearing about a quarter mile from her house. He noticed a few beaten-looking trees where shinobi had trained before surrounding them.

"So…" Akira trailed off, giving him an awkward look. "Where should we start?"

Itachi shrugged. "You're the medic."

She twitched, a red vein popping in her forehead. "What do you feel up to?"

The Uchiha paused, returning her gaze. "A light taijutsu workout should do the trick," he answered.

"Do you mind fighting me?"

Itachi shook his head.

"Alright then. Don't overdo it, okay? If this doesn't work and you reopen your wounds, I have to use a different way to stop the bleeding."

Itachi tried not to think too hard about her last statement. This was unbelievably reckless of him. He should just wait until tomorrow when she could get back the seal. That way, they would not require such crude methods.

The Hyuuga girl settled into a fighting stance. Itachi noted the veins showing through beside her eyes, indicating her activated kekki genkai.

Then again, he could use some training.

* * *

Before Akira could blink, Itachi's chakra vanished from sight.

_He's fast!_ Thanks to her byakugan, Akira saw him approaching from behind.

She blocked a kick to her abdomen, but the sheer force drove her backwards.

_Strong, too!_ Her eyes widened in shock. Just how many surprises was this guy hiding?

"Hm." Itachi's expression seemed thoughtful, almost unconcerned.

"Something wrong?" Akira inquired as she ran at him, her palms glowing with chakra. Time to see just how good his reflexes were.

She moved quickly, but he was faster. He dodged her first few pokes and casually jumped when she dropped to sweep his leg.

"Nothing." His answer made her eyes go widen as his fist descended toward her face. Through some miracle, she blocked it, but the momentum threw her to the ground.

"My strength's still not back to normal." Akira heard him mutter. She didn't bother hiding her astonishment when she jumped back to her feet, trying to ignore the ache in her back from the fall.

"Normal strength?!" she squeaked. "Just how strong are you?"

He appeared back in front of her in the blink of an eye. She temporarily froze when she noticed his irises were red.

_That's weird._ She spotted an opening around his stomach area and went for it, momentarily forgetting his injuries as she prepared to use her jyuuken. Thankfully, Itachi only suffered the first few pokes before bursting into a cloud of smoke.

_Kage bunshin?! _She hadn't seen him perform the hand signs.

Jumping into the air again, Akira narrowly avoided an assault from behind, only to receive a head on attack from another Itachi clone. Or the real thing—her byakugan couldn't tell the difference.

Itachi grabbed both her wrists before she could block, and they tumbled to the ground, Akira on the bottom. The failed attacker from behind burst into a cloud of smoke, which made the Itachi on top of her the real thing.

His expression became thoughtful again. If her arms hadn't been pinned, she'd be trying to punch the stupid look off his face. What was he doing spacing off at a time like this? She tried to free her captured limbs, but Itachi's grip was far too strong.

"H-how's your strength?" she stuttered, now becoming aware of their positions. Their figures pressed tightly together, a position Akira would not mind so much if she could move. Their faces were a good six inches apart, but she could feel his breath tickle her skin.

"Better than I thought," he answered and finally released his hold on her wrists. Akira was surprised not to see bruises, although he had left imprints that would take a while to fade. Now sitting up, she felt a migraine coming on, since she hadn't had the time to fall correctly.

"Okay." The Hyuuga girl shakily rose to her feet, trying to maintain her footing while the throbbing pain threatened to knock her off balance. Not only that, she tasted blood in her saliva. "Does it feel like the antidote worked?"

He shrugged, but as he did so, Akira's attention drew to a stain showing through the gray beneath his new mesh shirt. The stain was red.

"Itachi." He followed her gaze to the area. "You're bleeding." The Uchiha gritted his teeth as the palm of his left hand moved to cover the wound. He didn't curse like she would, but he definitely looked frustrated.

Closing the distance between them, Akira rested a hand on the firm surface of his abdomen and activated her healing chakra. An unpleasant shock ran through her fingertips and all the way up her arm. Familiar, but disappointing.

The antidote hadn't worked.

Sighing, Akira reached for the pouch on her right side and brought out a small vial that thankfully hadn't broken during her fall.

"Here, drink this. It should help your blood clot." It was a sample of the first antidote she'd used. It wouldn't enable the wound to accept her healing chakra, but, in the least, it would help stop the bleeding.

He drank it without a moment's hesitation, but the frustrated air still lingered between them. Sighing for a second time, Akira returned the empty vial to her pouch.

"Let's go back home," she suggested. "I'll do more research."

After a brief, "Hn," the Uchiha complied.

* * *

_That was amazing._ The same stalker that had trailed Kaname and Eri that morning thought. After hearing about Akira's new roommate, she'd rushed over to the Hyuuga's place to find her offering clothes—_men's _clothes—to someone she hadn't been able to see clearly from her position outside the window. But now she could see him in plain daylight, and, needless to say, Kaname's description was spot on.

This guy was incredibly sexy and, from the looks of it, also quite the ninja.

_It may be worth it to watch them for just a bit longer._ Already beginning to fantasize about what it would be like to meet him, the stalker noted the lack of conversation between Itachi and Akira, and, after making sure her chakra remained cloaked, she fled the scene.

* * *

Itachi's crimson eyes darted behind them as the he and Akira left the training grounds. Akira didn't seem to notice, but someone was following them.

Whoever it was, his chakra presence wasn't anywhere near what Itachi would consider a threat, hence the reason he kept the discovery to himself. Likely, it was someone else from Akira's village. Not Kaname or Eri, but, either way, the presence was gone now. Their stalker had probably found trailing Akira and him quite boring, as neither of them felt particularly talkative.

At the moment, Itachi tried not to feel disappointed. They had been so close to creating an antidote, but it hadn't worked. He had been so close to finally being able to leave this wretched place to go find Kisame.

But, then again, was this place really that wretched?

Itachi had to admit that no pressure and training whenever he pleased was quite a sweet deal. The food was great, and although the company was not what he would prefer, everything else made up for it. There were no missions, no killing, and no reminders of his past. But, Itachi took that moment to remind himself of his purpose on this earth.

He wasn't here to have a good time. He was here to recover from his wounds and then go back to Akatsuki, where he could continue working toward his goal of saving Sasuke. His brother was all that mattered, and his brother was the only reason Itachi hadn't taken his own life yet.

Itachi spared a glance at the blonde kunoichi walking beside him.

As blasphemous as it sounded, he wasn't so sure anymore. He was beginning to question his motives. He was actually beginning to enjoy his life again.

"Itachi?" Akira's voice broke the Uchiha out of his thoughts. She sounded hesitant as she tapped her index fingers together, a habit Itachi noticed she only did when she felt nervous. "I'm sorry the antidote didn't work."

That was it? That was all she was upset about? Itachi turned his full attention to the Hyuuga girl. He envied her carefree life.

"Don't worry about it." A phrase he rarely used. "Next time we can test it using the seal." Uncharacteristically optimistic of him. If Kisame were here, he'd be laughing.

"Thank you."

And for what, Itachi had no idea.

* * *

The rest of the day dragged, but, in the late evening, Akira hit a painful realization: it was Friday, and she didn't have healing training again until Monday.

She'd suggested the idea of walking to Kaede's and simply retrieving the seal off hours, but Itachi pointed out it would draw too much attention. Why would she want something that wasn't even directly related to her original training plan? It would arouse suspicion, and both of them eventually agreed it would be best to wait until Monday, with Itachi more on the begrudging side.

It was Saturday now, and Akira busily juggled homework between poison studying while Itachi researched what he could to make her second assignment easier.

_I'm so tired,_ Akira thought, clamping her jaw shut to hold back a yawn as she rested her head on the open pages of a rather thick textbook. She struggled enough with her assignments from Kaede, let alone her work for Itachi. She needed a stress reliever. Better yet, she needed to train.

"Hey, Itachi?" Akira hoped her tone didn't betray the full extent of her fatigue.

"Hn?"

"Do you feel like training?"

Hell, she was already in her ninja outfit, so why not? All she needed to do was tie on her headband. Like all the other times she'd requested something of him, Itachi calmly closed his book and set it aside. "I wouldn't be opposed to it."

_Thank you._

They reached the training grounds in record time, and, thankfully, Itachi hadn't questioned why she'd suddenly decided to pick up the pace. Without further hesitation, she walked a fair distance away from the Uchiha and settled into a fighting stance.

"Ready?"

"Hn." He stepped back slightly, but didn't bring his hands up.

_Byakugan!_ Akira quickly did the hand sign to activate her bloodline limit before springing into action like a hungry tigress. Like last time, Itachi evaded every attack she threw at him as if it were the easiest thing in the world. It was beginning to annoy her.

"Come at me seriously!" she snapped between pokes.

He looked at her with dead black eyes. He seemed to say, "You don't want me to do that."

At the moment, she didn't care. With a battle cry, she attacked him head on and actually managed to land a full jyuuken this time.

"Sixteen, thirty-two, sixty-four points!" Akira yelled, throwing the Uchiha back a few yards. A streak of sweat slid from his brow as an expression of concealed pain contorted his face.

_What the hell did I just do?_ Messing with someone's chakra points, let alone on an injured person, during a general spar was never a good idea. Dammit, she'd completely lost control.

He ran at her, and she stepped back to brace herself. She noticed Itachi's eyes change from their usual black to a flaming red. A kekki genkai?

Sidestepping his attack, Akira rotated her stance to aim a roundhouse kick at the Uchiha's head. As expected, he stepped forward and blocked her with both hands, barely giving her enough time to retract her leg and follow up with a spin rear kick.

Once again, much to her frustration, he evaded without so much as blinking.

_How does he do that? _Akira wondered, blocking another kick and a subsequent punch combination. _I need to finish this soon if I want to win._

By now, she'd completely forgotten about his injuries. She waited a bit longer before she saw an opening near his center, the perfect place to continue her jyuuken.

Ensuring her hands were up to protect her face, Akira went for it. Much to her dismay, he shuffled back just enough to be out of range before something much more unexpected happened—Itachi started… coughing?!

The Hyuuga girl froze her attack midway as he collapsed to his knees, one hand clasped over his mouth and the other gripping his chest, the apparent source of his pain.

"Itachi!" Deactivating her byakugan, Akira dashed over to the writhing Uchiha. She collapsed next to him, tempted to panic.

_What do I do?! _She hadn't hit him. Without a doubt, he'd dodged her last attack. _Could it be the poison?_ She'd never seen symptoms like this before.

Unsure of what else to do, Akira channeled chakra into her palms and pressed them against the broad expansion of Itachi's chest. A familiar shock ran up both her arms as his body rejected her healing energy. She'd been able to heal his other injuries before, just not that katana wound. Was this an effect of the poison spreading?

Another thirty seconds passed until his fit finally ceased, and, by that point, Akira could only stare. As a healer, she'd never felt so useless, and that spike of emotion only drove deeper when she noticed splotches of red staining the hand Itachi used to cover his mouth.

"A-are you alright?" Akira stuttered. Itachi didn't reply.

* * *

"A-are you alright?"

Her words didn't surprise the Uchiha as he lay on the ground, still clutching his chest while his body fought to gain control of his ragged breathing. The two of them waited in silence, only broken by Itachi's occasional pants until the nightmare ended.

He'd become careless and over-used his sharingan again. Coughing up blood was no surprise for Itachi. This had occurred numerous times beforehand, although, most of the time, it happened when he pushed his body too far.

The first time occurred two years after Itachi's new eye abilities began. At age fifteen, he'd been facing a particularly difficult mission for Akatsuki. He'd emerged victorious and alive, but this unheard of illness made itself known from that point on.

Over time, his condition only worsened. After a year, every time he used Susann'o, he would start coughing up blood. Finally, he'd covertly seen a medic about it, but his particular condition was unheard of. There was no treatment, and Itachi couldn't stay in one place long enough to find one without drawing unnecessary attention.

To this day, no other Akatsuki, including Kisame, had knowledge of this. Itachi made an effort to hide his weaknesses from other people, like he did with his emotions. There was a strong chance Madara knew, but, then again, Itachi speculated his ailment was exclusive to the Uchiha clan. He would be surprised if his former sensei hadn't picked up on anything.

Overusing his most powerful eye techniques for too long or one after the other usually triggered the painful coughing. In the beginning, these episodes only happened occasionally, but, almost five years later, his condition had degraded to where merely overusing his regular sharingan triggered an attack.

And there was still no treatment.

So here he lay, coughing up blood with this Hyuuga girl here to witness every moment of his weakness. Itachi briefly considered killing her and running, despite not having a cure for the poison in his system, but the fact she'd saved his life stopped him.

"Itachi! Come on, say something!" Her voice broke him from his thoughts.

"Itachi!"

She sounded worried—she actually sounded worried about him. Honestly, it unnerved him. Would she still be calling his name with such emotion if she knew he had just considered ending her life?

"Are you alright?" she asked again.

He finally allowed himself a nod. "Yes." Itachi tried not to flinch when her hand touched his shoulder.

"What the hell was that?" she murmured.

Deciding it best to lie, Itachi shrugged. "Probably a side effect of the poison."

She averted his gaze. "Yeah. Looks like it."

Itachi kept his expression blank. Gullible, wasn't she?

Pushing himself to his feet, Itachi ignored the shooting pain in his stomach. He couldn't entirely blame Akira for being gullible. She didn't know about the multiple bounties on his head, and the words "Uchiha" and "sharingan" meant nothing to her.

"Itachi, what are you doing?!" she exclaimed, jumping up after him.

"Standing. We should be heading back now, shouldn't we?"

"You start coughing up blood and now you're casually suggesting we walk home? What is wrong with you?!"

Itachi paused. She did have a point. He wasn't doing the best job of maintaining a cover that kept her from asking questions.

"And what else do you suggest we do?" he replied calmly. "As you can see, I'm fine now."

"Yes, but—"

"Hn?"

She looked away again. "I suppose you're right."

* * *

_What was that?!_ The stalker from three days ago was back and still trailing Itachi and Akira. She'd been tempted to run out and try to help when this mysterious man had suddenly started coughing up blood, but since Akira seemed to have things under control, she decided against it.

From the looks of it, the entire situation was nothing more than a simple accident. She hadn't managed to get close enough to hear what they were saying, but she inferred enough to know what was going on.

_I hope he's okay, _she thought. _I may just have to pay Akira and that handsome guy a visit, just in case._ Smirking to herself, the stalker was more than ready to use this as an excuse to stop by and hopefully meet him. _This should be an eventful day._

* * *

"I'm hungry," Akira murmured and, as if on cue, her stomach rumbled. Now back at her table studying, she found herself nodding off a few times. She'd already commanded Itachi to rest after he cleaned up from training. Surprisingly, he hadn't protested, and she resumed her work without further hindrance. But she was still tired, and now she was hungry, too.

"I should probably start on lunch. Itachi might be hungry, too," she said to herself, closing her textbook and happily tossing it aside. "Now what should I make?"

Twenty minutes later, lunch was ready and the dining room table set. Akira smiled contentedly as she walked down the hallway to inform Itachi. Oddly enough, she was getting used to living with another person.

"Itachi." She rapped her knuckles on the door to her room.

No answer. Akira tried again.

"Itachi!"

Still nothing. Sighing, she was about to slide open the door to go wake him when something startled her.

"Yes?"

She spun around to see Itachi standing behind her. "Didn't I tell you to rest?" She frowned. How did he always manage to sneak up on her like that?

"As I said, I'm fine now."

Eying him closely, Akira unsuccessfully attempted to find something contradicting his statement. "Well, I was getting hungry, so I made lunch. Would you like some or not?"

"Hn."

She folded her arms across her chest. "Meaning?"

"Sure."

The two of them made their way to the dining room where the aroma of freshly cooked food greeted them. Akira's stomach growled again.

"Sorry," she apologized, a light blush adorning her cheeks. Thankfully, Itachi didn't seem to care.

Chopsticks in hand, Akira was seconds away from saying, "Itadikimasu!" and digging in when a soft knocking stopped her.

_Knock knock!_

Akira reluctantly set down her chopsticks.

_Knock knock!_

_Never a dull moment, huh?_ she thought, standing up to see who it was. _It's probably Kaname and Eri. I wonder what they want._

As she neared the entrance, Akira found only one chakra presence behind the front door. That presence almost felt like—

"Hello, Akira."

Her eyes narrowed as her visitor's face came into view. It wasn't Kaname, Eri or any friend of hers.

There stood her rival, Harumi Misaki.

* * *

Hope the fight scenes weren't too confusing. I have a bit of martial arts training, so I know some basics of what Naruto fans call "taijutsu."

Please bear with me on the new characters. It's takes a while to develop a village.

Thank you for reading, and again, if you do not have anything nice to say, please keep it to yourself!


	3. Chapter 3

_Finally, let's hope he's floating around here somewhere,_ Misaki thought, glancing past Akira in hopes the mysterious dark-haired man was nearby. Much to her dismay, she saw nothing. She even fabricated a reason for her visit, but if that dark-haired hottie wasn't around, all would be for nothing.

_Come on!_ Misaki impatiently tapped her foot as she turned her attention back to Akira. Under normal circumstances, Misaki wouldn't be caught dead on Akira's property, but she'd bear with it if she could get a better look at this guy.

_Where is he?_

* * *

"Misaki?" Akira blinked several times to ensure she wasn't seeing things. _What's she doing here?_ Akira wondered. Misaki never just _visited _her—there had to be a catch.

Harumi Misaki was an especially thin girl with pixie cut brown hair and icy blue eyes. The whirlpool hitiate on her right thigh confirmed her as a ninja, but the pink trim on her clothes, heavy makeup and tiny blossom in her hair made her look like an extremely girly one.

"What brings you here?" Akira didn't bother faking a smile. For the first time in three years, Harumi Misaki stood at her doorway. Last time she had been here, the two of them were partnered for a rather disastrous mission.

"I haven't seen you in a while, so I figured I'd drop by."

"Uh-huh. What do you want from me?"

A mock expression of hurt flickered across her rival's features. "Why ever would you assume such a thing?"

Harumi Misaki, age eighteen, had been her rival for as long as she could remember. Akira suspected it had to do with Kaede-sensei rejecting Misaki's request to train as her pupil upon leaving the ninja academy, but then again she had also agreed to train Kaname and Eri. Additionally, since then, Misaki had become an accomplished sensor and scout for the village under someone else's instruction.

"Doesn't take much thought," Akira said flatly. "What do you want?" Gripping the doorway with both hands, Akira made sure to keep her stance firm as she stared down her unexpected visitor, wanting to be prepared if Misaki suddenly decided to push her aside and barge in. But, nothing of the sort happened.

"I was just wondering if you felt like training. I mean, it's been _ages_ since we've done anything like that—"

"I've already done my training for the day. Besides, I have homework."

"Oh, really? Are you sure? Both of us could probably use the extra practice." Akira fought the urge to look back when she noticed Misaki craning her neck, as if she were trying to get a better look inside her house.

_Please don't let Itachi be standing behind me,_ Akira pleaded, her body temperature rising with the tension. As if it wasn't already bad enough her friends knew about him. She didn't need Misaki, who she didn't trust, adding onto that! She didn't sense his chakra presence. Then again, he had a way with sneaking up on people. For all she knew, he could be standing right behind her.

Akira let out a heartfelt sigh before replying, "I'm fine by myself. And are you feeling okay? Last I checked, you hating training."

Misaki's eyes narrowed. At least she got a rise out of her. Maybe she could find out her real motive for coming all the way down here, while she was at it.

"Alone?" the brunette echoed. "Last _I _checked you had a new training partner."

_What_? She didn't mean Itachi, did she? How could she know about him? Maybe she was just talking about Kaname and Eri. Akira hadn't trained with them in weeks.

"If you mean Kaname and Eri, that's a given. They're my my teammates," Akira replied, fighting to keep her tone calm.

_That's right, Akira, just act innocent. She'll have no reason to press further if you don't look guilty._ Akira could only hope she was over thinking the situation. Nonetheless, Misaki's eyes remained narrowed.

"Oh really? I'd certainly remember it if I had a training partner like that. You know: tall, long dark hair, black eyes... _Male_…" She enunciated the last part. "Sound familiar?"

"Doesn't ring a bell," Akira lied.

"Really?" Misaki raised an eyebrow, blue eyes glinting smugly. "Then who's that?"

Misaki pointed a finger toward the wall. Apprehensively, Akira turned to follow her gaze. Her fears were confirmed. Itachi was standing right behind them.

_Dammit!_

"So," Misaki smirked, "care to revise that statement?"

Speechless, the Hyuuga girl turned back to Itachi. Figures, he looked so calm. Hadn't she already gone through this with Kaname and Eri?

* * *

_So this is who has been following us,_ Itachi thought as he examined the girly-looking kunoichi.

When Akira had gone to answer the door, Itachi sensed a familiar chakra presence. He recognized it as the same person who had discreetly watched Akira and him train earlier. Naturally, he'd been curious who their stalker was, so he'd followed Akira. As suspected, it was another of Akira's associates.

_Her chakra is weaker than Akira's._ No surprise there, but Itachi never appreciated people who followed him. He was, after all, a very careful person.

"Itachi," Akira fumed, "what the hell do you think you're doing?"

But, if this encounter ended badly, it would not bode well for him later that evening.

* * *

"Itachi?" Misaki repeated the name to herself. "Your name is Itachi?"

An odd name, but she could look past that. Coming here had certainly been worth it. She hadn't gotten a view like this at the training grounds.

He had a lean figure and smooth ivory skin. His eyes were the deepest shade of black she'd ever seen, and his equally dark hair was fashioned into a ponytail that ran in silky strands down the length of his back.

Misaki momentarily frowned at the stress lines running beneath his eyes. She'd missed that from a distance, but although odd, it somehow fit. It didn't ruin his boyish good looks at all.

"What are you staring at?" his velvety baritone shattered the overlapping silence. Misaki couldn't help but blush. Not just his looks, but he had a sexy voice, too?

_How did Akira score with someone of his caliber? _Misaki wondered, her speech failing her. His gaze was hypnotizing. She couldn't seem to look away.

"Another one of your friends?" Itachi guessed.

"You think so?" Akira's expression clearly begged to differ. "More of an acquaintance, really."

Misaki frowned. "Is that any way to talk about someone you've known for eight years, Akira?" she shot back.

"What brings you here?" Itachi asked, seeming completely oblivious to the tension.

"I just wanted to ask Akira if she would train with me. She refused." Misaki pouted innocently, making the Hyuuga girl roll her eyes in annoyance. "But I wouldn't be opposed to it if you'd like to train with me,_ Itachi_."

Her flirtatious antics went unnoticed by the Uchiha, or maybe even ignored. "If you wanted to train with her so badly, why didn't you do so yesterday?"

"What?" Akira looked confused. Misaki froze.

"I didn't have time to come out here and ask," Misaki replied sweetly, smiling in an attempt to conceal her apprehension.

"You saw her yesterday."

"Itachi, what are you talking about?" Akira questioned, clearly lost.

"She's been trailing us for the past two days," Itachi explained, turning his attention back to the Hyuuga girl. "You didn't notice?"

Akira laughed nervously.

_How did he find out? I hid my chakra._ Misaki stood there, momentarily wide-eyed. This guy was unbelievable. In addition to good looks and a sexy voice, he had ridiculously good chakra sensing skills?

"You must be mistaking me for someone else. I was no where near the training grounds yesterday," she said smoothly.

"Every chakra presence is unique, and I recognize yours from the other day," Itachi countered. "Why were you following us?"

Color quickly lit up Misaki's cheeks. She couldn't deny it now. Embarrassed, she turned away from the duo staring at her.

"I wanted to see who your boyfriend was," she admitted, still blushing. "I overheard Kaname and Eri talking about it."

_Akira will pay for embarrassing me like this!_ Misaki thought angrily, examining the floorboards to avoid eye contact. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so humiliated.

A pregnant pause filled the air. Confused, Misaki glanced back up at the assumed "couple." Akira looked like she'd just tasted something bitter, and Itachi looked… well, quite unhappy.

"You think we're a _couple_?" Akira sounded disgusted. "What the hell gave you that idea?"

"Well, you two are living together, aren't you?"

"Yes, but…" she trailed off. "Call it a minor setback."

_Setback?_ Misaki looked questioningly at the Hyuuga girl.

"I would _never_ date him." Keeping her eyes on her rival, Akira jerked her head in Itachi's direction. "You've got it all wrong."

"Hn." The Uchiha grunted in agreement. Not quite as expressive, but it got the point across.

_Okay—guy living with Akira turns out to be single. _She blinked. Hard to believe, but she wasn't complaining. Stealing another glance at the man she'd come to see, Misaki's lips twisted into a devilish grin. Even so, she wasn't about to let this go.

"Itachi, I'll take care of this. Please go back into the dining room." The Uchiha disappeared before either kunoichi could bat an eyelash.

"He's good-looking," Misaki remarked, her icy blue eyes glaring into Akira's lavender ones. "Would you mind explaining why a guy who's not romantically affiliated with you lives here?"

"None of your business, Misaki. Just know we're not a couple." Akira gripped the door, wanting nothing more than to slam it in Misaki's face. The sensor leaned a hand against the doorway, ready to prevent that from happening.

"Be careful. Someone else might steal him from you."

"You want him?" Akira laughed dryly. "You can have him. He's a pain in the ass to babysit. Just trust me when I say he's not interested."

"We'll see about that," Misaki seethed. "Thank you for your time," she said through gritted teeth. "Now I really _must _be going."

"Bye!" The door was violently slammed shut. Misaki's face contorted into an expression of immense pain—she hadn't removed her fingers in time.

Clutching her throbbing left hand, the kunoichi growled to herself. _This means war._

* * *

"Finally," Akira sighed in relief once Misaki's chakra presence disappeared. Exhausted and still hungry, Akira collapsed into a sitting position at the table where Itachi had already resumed eating. With energy anew, she seized her chopsticks.

"Itadikimasu!"

Akira knew she'd be hearing more from Misaki, but, at the moment, she wanted to enjoy her afternoon meal. Unfortunately, less than a minute later, something interrupted her again.

_Knock knock!_

_You're kidding me._ Akira prayed she was just hearing things. She heaped another scoop of rice into her bowl and, seconds from shoveling an especially large bite into her mouth, the same sound echoed through the area.

_Knock knock!_

No use denying it. There was another person at her door.

"Of all the…" she trailed off, stopping herself before she could fall into a cursing fit. Why did this always happen when she wanted to do something? "Who could this be?" Akira muttered, annoyed that not once, but twice, she'd been kept from eating lunch. Once again, there was only one presence and it didn't feel like Kaname or Eri.

_Last I checked I didn't have any more rivals._

The door slid open and two orange-colored orbs met her lavender ones.

"Hey, Akira!"

In front of her stood a teenage boy a few centimeters taller than her. Short locks of dark brown hair blew in the light breeze as tangerine eyes sparkled at her with a boyish glint. A whirlpool hitaite gleamed on his forehead, and his clothes consisted of a pair of knee-length brown shorts and a short sleeved yellow shirt with matching brown sleeve designs, giving him an outdoor look. He wasn't unattractive, but Akira did not look happy to see Uzumori Saito, the son of a weapons shop owner.

"Saito?" Akira tried to keep her tone from betraying her frustration. Any other time she wouldn't mind, but today was not her day.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd drop by and visit you." He grinned, genuine and pure. Akira had to admit he was a nice break from Misaki, but, although she didn't mind him personally, there were a few things this guy did not understand, no matter how many times she said them.

Saito was also a rather persistent suitor of hers. Given, he didn't possess the same malicious hostility that Misaki did, but he could still be quite annoying. He was nice, but rather clueless at times.

"You okay, Akira?"

"Sorry," she apologized, her brain desperately trying to fabricate an excuse to make him leave. Come to think of it, she felt a tad woozy at the moment. Low blood sugar, perhaps?

"Anyway," he continued, "I was wondering—"

"You want me to train with you?" she cut off, patience gone.

"Yeah." He blinked a few times. "How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess." Just what she needed. How was she supposed to get out of this and still be polite?

"Well, um, would you?"

"I already trained today. I'm actually eating lunch right now."

"Really?" His eyes lit up. "Can I join you? I can get my own food or just sit with you, if you like."

"I… uh... just finished," she lied. "You know, you're supposed to wait at least forty-five minutes after you eat and all that."

"Yeah… I guess…" Saito trailed off, nervously scratching the back of his head. "Tomorrow then?"

"I've got training with Kaede-sensei."

"Oh… I guess I should come back at a better time!" Undiscouraged, he flashed her another smile. It made her feel slightly guilty for sending him away like this.

"Yeah. See ya."

The door shut and Akira once again found herself stumbling back to the dining room. But, on the way, her low blood sugar from earlier came back to bite her. One second she was walking, and the next she was about to fall face first into the floorboards.

A strong hand grabbed her arm in time to steady her. The dazed Hyuuga looked up to see Itachi's emotionless gaze.

"Itachi?" Her mind snapped back to attention. "What are you—?"

"You almost fainted," he stated simply, for once, being a gentleman and escorting her back to the dining room. "You should be more careful."

"Thanks," she muttered, turning slightly red. At least this time he'd done something useful while sneaking up on her. She breathed a sigh of relief at her next thought.

And at least this time Saito hadn't discovered him, too. Knowing that idiot, he would definitely jump to conclusions.

* * *

"Dammit!" Misaki swore, kicking over a nearby trashcan. Damn Akira, and damn however she'd managed to get Itachi to live with her! Misaki was now a fair distance away from the Hyuuga girl's house. After her encounter, she wandered into town and currently occupied an otherwise vacant alleyway.

A scowl contorted the kunoichi's features. She just didn't get it. How had _Akira_ ended up with such a hot guy out of the blue? And before her no less! It didn't make any sense that they were living together, but not literally "together." Did Akira actually expect her to believe that?

"Misaki?" A familiar voice called her name, interrupting her tantrum. Uzumori Saito stood a few yards away.

"Saito? What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." He took a few steps forward and immediately noticed the kicked-over trashcan. "What's got you so aggravated?"

"Akira," Misaki replied, still scowling.

"What'd she do?"

Her scowl turned into a look of complete and utter rage. "I want to know how she managed to get a guy living with her! Especially one that's really good at sensing chakra!"

"Whoa, whoa, wait. Akira's got a guy living with her?" Saito blinked in confusion. "Like a _boyfriend_?!"

Misaki folded her arms across her chest. "She denies it, but I don't believe her."

"Akira has a boyfriend?" Saito ignored everything beyond her previous sentence. He looked devastated. "How?"

"It's just not fair!" she fumed, ignoring him. "He's way above her level in so many ways! Something just doesn't seem right!"

"What's he look like?" Saito inquired glumly.

Misaki's icy eyes immediately changed from burning anger to pining teenage girl. "Well, he's tall, muscular, and has the smoothest pale skin I've ever seen! I swear it could be porcelain!" Misaki rambled, but cleared her throat upon noticing Saito's expression. "He's got long dark hair tied back in a ponytail, and his eyes are black. Like two perfectly cut onyxes!"

"So basically he's your dream guy?" Saito summarized. "Tall, dark and handsome?"

"Pretty much." She let out another sigh. "He's handsome, but he doesn't talk much."

"Completely your type, then?" Misaki's eyes narrowed further at this remark. Saito shrugged. "I wish I knew what Akira was thinking… living witha guy, I mean."

"Hm," Misaki mused, the gears in her mind turning. "Hey, Saito, you like Akira, right?"

"Eh?!" Saito's cheeks burned red despite his dejected mood. "W-what gave you that idea?"

"Oh please, do you actually think it's ever been a secret? Even Kaede figured it out." Misaki frowned. "Just answer 'yes' or 'no.'"

"Y-yes…"

While Saito turned a few shades darker, Misaki fell into a contemplative silence.

"Well, one way or another, we're after the same thing," she finally said, making him raise an eyebrow interest. "Neither of us want Akira and Itachi living together."

"Do you have a plan?" Saito shot her a dubious look. He wanted to mope some more.

Misaki brushed a finger across her chin in a thinking pose. _Would it actually work?_

* * *

"Oi, Itachi!" Akira called. "Could you come over here?"

Itachi paused his reading, but didn't immediately put away the book. Even in the study, he could hear her yelling from the kitchen. Knowing it was useless to yell back, Itachi marked his page and stood to answer her in person. "What do you need?" Itachi asked, his face blank. The Hyuuga girl turned around to face him.

"My friends will be here any minute!" Akira said, scrambling about in an attempt to finish cleaning up from breakfast.

"What do you need help with then?"

"Help me put these away!" She thrust a stack dishes into his arms before picking up another stack herself. Opening one of the cabinets above the sink, she began filing the dishware back into their proper places.

"Well, don't just stand there, help me!" she snapped. Reluctantly, Itachi obeyed.

_Kisame would be laughing at me if he could see this._ Itachi thought, mentally sighing. Who would have thought that he, the Uchiha prodigy and S ranked missing nin of Konohagakure, would be reduced to helping with women's work?

"There!" Akira grinned as she slammed the cabinet shut. "All clean."

Itachi half-smiled at her joy from something so foolishly simple. One thing he did like about Akira was how little it took to make her smile. The Uchiha stopped himself there as he someone knock. "Coming!" Akira called, disappearing from his sight to answer the door.

Why had he just used the work "like" and "Akira" in the same sentence?

* * *

"Hello, Akira." Akira froze, eyes wide, as she recognized her visitor.

"Misaki?"

_What's she doing back here? I thought I told her off yesterday!_ she thought, frowning. _As long as it doesn't involve Itachi, may as well see what she wants. _Akira forced her lips into a mildly-pleasant smile. "What do you want?"

"Just wondering, but are you and Itachi free this weekend?"

The Hyuuga girl blinked in confusion. "This weekend?"

_That's odd—why she would deliberately ask for Itachi AND me?_ Akira mused. "Yeah. What of it?"

"Saito and I were planning an outing to, you know, get to know each other better," Misaki explained. "You remember that lake a mile or two from here, right?"

"So you want to go swimming. Why invite me, can't you and Saito just go by yourselves?"

"Well…" the brunette trailed off just as Akira felt two more chakra presences enter the area. Misaki turned to see Kaname and Eri standing behind her. "Speak of the devil." She greeted the two with a smile that looked more devious than it did friendly.

"Misaki, what are you doing here?" Kaname inquired, repeating Akira's initial question.

"Just dropping by," she replied. "And what do you know! This saves me the trouble."

No one moved as they waited for her to continue.

"Are you two were free this weekend? Saito and I were wondering if you'd like to go swimming with Akira, Itachi, and us!"

"Oi, I never said yes!" Akira interjected.

"It may be a good idea, though." All eyes turned to Eri.

"You think so, Eri?" Kaname blinked in confusion. "_Really_?"

"Why?" Akira questioned.

"It's still warm out, and it could be a good time to get to know each other better," Eri explained, ignoring her teammates' stares. "Besides, none of us know Uchiha-san very well—"

"My thoughts exactly!" Misaki interrupted before she could completely finish. "So, what do you two say?"

"I'm in, too, I guess." Kaname still looked confused.

Akira let out a hefty sigh. "Fine, if you two are going, then I'll find a way to drag Itachi with me."

"Good then!" Misaki exclaimed, laughing shrilly. Her scheming grin had returned. "Besides, it would be awkward with only one guy along! Anyway, what do you say we meet at noon this Saturday at the lake? I'll even bring lunch! You three don't have any other plans then, do you?"

"No," Kaname said dejectedly.

"See you then!" Just as quickly as she'd come, Misaki left. All eyes turned back to Eri.

"Okay, what are you scheming?" Kaname demanded, her arms folded across her chest. Akira frowned and nodded in agreement.

"Like I said, it'd be a great time to get to know each other better."

"_And_?"

"It's obvious Misaki wants something, right? What better way to find out what it is than to beat her at her own game?"

"Oh, I already know what she wants," Akira stated. "She's after Itachi. I knew that the second she laid eyes on him."

"You don't think he'd go after a girl like that, would you?" Kaname asked, clearly concerned.

"Please, he barely even talks! They don't match up in the slightest," Akira assured, waving her hand for emphasis. _If he even likes girls,_ she mentally added.

"If you say so," Eri said hesitantly.

* * *

"What a day," Akira muttered, collapsing onto her living room couch with a resounding _thump_. Their study session was _finally_ done, and, between the three of them, they'd managed to get a ton of work done. Her friends were gone already, but she still had one more task to attend to: how was she supposed to tell Itachi about this Saturday?

"You do realize I already told you it's rude to talk about people behind their backs?"

"What the—" Akira yelped as she whipped around to see Itachi standing right behind the couch she was sitting on. His deep black gaze bore into hers, looking emotionless, as usual.

"Do you feel the need to scare me every time you walk into a room?!"

"A matter of opinion, I suppose." Akira didn't like the look on his face at all. "You should be more alert."

"Well, you should stop doing that!" she snapped, but immediately quieted. She sighed. "What do you want?"

His lips twisted wryly. "I heard my name mentioned in your conversation earlier."

"I take it you heard then?"

"Hn."

"It was Eri's idea."

"I know."

"You don't have to swim with us if you don't want to."

"I'd appreciate that."

_What's with him? _Akira wondered. Itachi was never this passive with her. Was this his way of being difficult? The Hyuuga girl rolled her eyes. Well, she may as well ask.

"Are you angry that I included you without asking?" There, she'd said it!

"No."

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not."

"_Really_?"

_Okay, maybe that last part was a bit cheesy,_ she thought, grimacing. Why was she even bothering to ask again?

"Hn." She twitched. _Would it kill him to say yes?!_

* * *

Sure enough, Saturday arrived sooner than expected, but, much to his displeasure, Itachi still didn't have an antidote for the poison. He hadn't put up much of a fight because he'd hoped to have a cure by then. Unfortunately, other work occupied much of Akira's time, and the poison was turning out to be more complicated than either of them expected.

Akira's eyebrows knitted together thoughtfully. "Itachi," he resisted the urge to twitch when she called his name, "which bathing suit do you think I should choose?"

The two of them were in her room. She'd asked him for help with something, and, without thinking, he'd consented. He should have known to take off running the moment she begun rummaging through her dresser.

His gaze darted to the Hyuuga girl, who held a bathing suit in either hand. Her left hand gripped a black one piece with thin shoulder straps and a wide section of the back missing, and in her was right a modest pink tankini with a gap around the stomach area and slightly thicker straps.

"Well?" she demanded.

"Neither." He may as well be honest. They simply weren't her color.

"Hm…" Akira thoughtfully returned to her dresser. She pulled out a different bathing suit. "How about this one?"

This option was a light blue bikini that reminded Itachi of a clear turquoise sky. It bore the perfect shade to bring out the lavender in her eyes, but, at the same time, was light enough to match her blonde hair. Itachi tried not to imagine her wearing it.

"Hn." If she chose it, good for her; if not, he didn't care.

"Well, at least that wasn't a 'no.'" She turned the garment around to examine it again. "I think I'll go with it!" she declared, tossing the pink and black bathing suits back into her dresser.

"For not wanting to meet up with your friend, you're certainly taking this seriously," Itachi remarked.

Akira frowned at him. "One," she began, "Misaki is not my friend. And two, just because I don't want to be there, doesn't mean I can't still look nice. I'm at least looking forward to the swimming part."

_Whatever._ He wasn't about to question her further. "I'll be going now," he stated smoothly.

"Okay," she nodded, not taking her eyes away from the blue bathing suit. "Thanks for your help."

_I shall never understand women._ Itachi thought, quickly making his way to the exit and shutting the door behind him. Akira was easy to read, but he had to admit her thought patterns were unpredictable. When Itachi was younger, Shisui always used to tell him it was "a girl thing." But, to this day, the opposite sex still confused him.

Akira came out of her room again ten minutes later. Why it took so long to put on such a skimpy outfit, he had no idea. Itachi noted the white long-sleeved jacket over her shoulders, most likely to remain descent. He thanked what little luck he had for her decision.

"Are you sure you don't want to go swimming?" she inquired. He also noticed a brightly-colored bag slung over the kunoichi's shoulder, most likely containing a towel and other necessities for the day.

Itachi shifted his gaze to one of the undecorated walls. Even with the jacket, Akira still had a considerable amount of skin showing. "Hn. You already mentioned it would not be good for my injury."

"Oh." Her expression fell. "I guess I did."

Akira met up with Kaname and Eri halfway, and, while the three of them chatted idly, Itachi trailed reluctantly behind them.

_I cannot believe I agreed to this._ Itachi thought, peering behind them every once in a while to check for stalkers. One could never be too careful, especially after what that Misaki girl tried to pull.

"Finally here!" Kaname exclaimed.

"Took long enough," Akira muttered. Eri just smiled sweetly like she always did. Ignoring the trio, the Uchiha's coal-colored orbs moved to survey the scenery before them.

The water looked surprisingly clean. Not quite see-through clean, but relatively free of trash and algae. The scenery surrounding the water wasn't too shabby either. Healthy-looking trees with luscious green leaves surrounded the area, and the scattered bits of grass and plants radiated with the same emerald sheen. It was hard to believe these colors would soon be changing for autumn.

To add to the fun, the sky was a glaring blue, similar to Akira's bathing suit. Not a single cloud marred its smooth surface, promising good weather.

_So peaceful._ There were even chirping birds in the background.

"What should we do while we wait for Misaki?" Kaname's voice broke the Uchiha from his thoughts. Then again, with these three (and soon to be five) around, so much for peaceful.

"You mean we can't just swim without her?" Akira frowned.

"She made us promise that we'd wait for her and Saito," Eri reminded softly. "Remember?"

"_And _Saito?" Akira's jaw dropped. She palmed her forehead. "_Really_?"

Kaname looked at her friend sympathetically. "You forgot?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "I think my mind purposefully repressed it."

"We may as well make the best of it," Eri chimed, trying to be encouraging.

The three kunoichi sat on the soft grass and resumed their conversation from earlier, seeming to forget Itachi's presence while said Uchiha did his best to fade off into the scenery. They waited and waited, and, thirty minutes later, two distant figures neared them. Chakra analysis proved them to be Saito and Misaki.

"Hello! Sorry for being late!" Misaki's said shrilly as she waved to them. Saito trudged behind her, encumbered with a heavy picnic basket.

"What took you so long?!" Kaname demanded.

"Lunch took longer than anticipated," Misaki explained, motioning to Saito, who still struggled with his burden. "Six people is a lot to prepare for."

"Saito, I think you can put that down now," Eri said softly.

The basket _plunked_ loudly to the ground as he obeyed her, spreading a small cloud of dusk. Tinges of red lined Saito's cheeks, indicating exertion.

"Sure you made enough?" Kaname remarked sarcastically.

"Yes, thank you," Misaki retorted, frowning. Her gaze moved to Itachi. He resisted the urge to disperse into a mass of crows. "I see Akira managed to bring you along as well." The kunoichi advanced toward him, offering a friendly smile.

"I'm Harumi Misaki," she began. "I don't believe we were ever properly introduced, _Itachi_."

"Hn." Like Akira, her face told him she disliked when he said that.

"Anyway, let's not just stand around. We arranged this outing for a reason, right?" Akira interrupted. Saito eagerly nodded in agreement. As Itachi suspected, the dark-haired mock of a shinobi appeared to harbor romantic feelings for the Hyuuga girl.

Itachi secretly pitied the man. He had no idea what he was trying to get himself into.

Either way, Saito seemed to enjoy the sight of Akira in a bikini. She and her friends had already stripped off their over shirts to reveal their bathing suits. But, unlike the trio, Misaki hadn't even bothered to bring a jacket.

The brunette's outfit was the same shade of pink as the tankini Akira had pulled from her dresser earlier, although there was a considerable amount of cloth, well, missing. She clearly intended to show as much skin as possible.

The strapless material covering the kunoichi's chest consisted of a single strip of cloth sewn to look twisted in the center. It looked incredibly tight, but, at the same time, Itachi wondered how she intended to move without the entire thing sliding off. The bottom piece of her suit had a high cut on the thigh and a low dip in the back with two decorative ties adorning either of her hips, drawing attention to the area.

Saito casually slipped off his shirt while the four kunoichi made a beeline for the water, clearly racing each other.

Kaname's bathing suit was a bit less revealing. Her top piece was a green ruffled halter that stopped several inches above her belly button and tied in the back. The bottom piece was the same leafy green color as her top and remained otherwise undecorated.

And then there was Eri. Her simple red one piece showed off her legs and revealed half her back and a bit of her chest area. The red color was a bit darker than his sharingan, complementing her brown eyes and dark hair.

Itachi wondered how much thought these girls had put into their clothing choices. From what he'd seen with Akira, they'd probably thought unnecessarily long and hard about it.

* * *

_So this is Uchiha Itachi,_ Saito thought, scrutinizing the dark-haired man.

As much as he hated to admit it, Misaki's description of the guy was accurate. Itachi killed him in the looks department, although, he was beyond "quiet." He hadn't introduced himself to anyone yet. Misaki had tried, but Itachi had ignored her completely. In the least, he didn't seem like a perv, which set Saito's mind at ease for Akira's immediate safety, but something still bothered him about the guy.

His chakra seemed fairly normal, but he could always be cloaking it. If he could sense chakra half as well as Misaki described, perhaps he could hide it just as well. In short, Itachi's presence unnerved him.

_What is Akira thinking living with a guy like him?_ Saito had asked himself this question countless times since Misaki's revelation the other day. What did this guy have that he didn't?

Without realizing it, during his assessment, Saito's gaze had locked with the Uchiha's. The contact alone sent chills down the shinobi's spine.

_So cold._ He hadn't even talked to him yet, and Saito already didn't want to go near him.

He shook his head, trying to ignore the feeling. _No, I have to, for Akira's sake! _He needed to protect her. What better way to express his love? Besides, if all went well, Misaki could use a hand, too.

On that thought, Saito took off to join the girls in the water, not once looking back.

* * *

"Hey, Akira, slow down!" Kaname called.

Akira ignored her and kept running toward the deep end of the lake. Smirking, she skillfully jumped off the edge, her hands streamlined in front of her for a graceful dive as she slipped into the water. Swimming a bitter deeper, Akira waited until she saw the murky forms of her friends and finally her rival before resurfacing.

_The water's warmer than I thought it'd be._ Akira breathed in the fresh air deeply after she resurfaced. Her wet braided hair clung to her back as she tread water, patiently waiting for everyone to do the same.

She noticed Saito had joined them. Drifting a bit farther back, Akira put as much space between them as possible.

"Is Itachi not coming?" Kaname inquired. The Hyuuga girl stole a glance at the Uchiha back on shore. By the looks of it, Itachi had found a nice shady cluster of trees to relax under. He sat there, one leg over the other as he leaned against the trunk of one of them, his eyes closed and an eerily peaceful expression on his face.

"Maybe one of us should go get him," Misaki suggested, smiling coyly.

"No, that's—okay…" Her words hadn't reached the sensor. Misaki was already swimming full speed toward the nearest edge of the lake.

"This should be interesting," Akira muttered, leisurely swimming after the kunoichi and leaving a confused suitor and perplexed pair of friends behind her.

* * *

"Hey!" Itachi irritably opened one eye to see an unpleasant view of someone's cleavage. Judging by the bathing suit, it was Misaki.

_Just when I'd managed to finally get some peace and quiet._

"Hn?"

"Why aren't you out swimming?" she inquired, and Itachi averted his gaze when she planted her hands on her hips, trying to make him look at her.

"It wouldn't be the best idea for me," he said simply.

"Why?"

"I have no need to tell you." Closing both eyes again, Itachi paid her no mind. When it came to females, if he ignored them, they tended to get angry and occasionally cry, but, eventually, they left him alone. This girl was no exception.

"Well, I—!"

"Misaki!"

The pair turned to see Akira running toward them. "Are you deaf or something? I called your name at least three times!" the Hyuuga girl snapped.

"Well, _sorry_, if I was trying to get your boyfriend to join us!" Misaki retorted.

"For the last time, he is not my boyfriend!"

By now, Saito, Eri, and Kaname joined them, curious as to what was going on.

"You honestly think any of us believe that?" Misaki fumed. "He lives with you!"

"He. Is. Not. My. Boyfriend!" Akira repeated, enunciating every syllable. "Besides, 'any of us' being you and Saito! And how did he find out about Itachi, anyway? You told him didn't you?"

Well…" she trailed off, sounding hurt. "You never told me not to!"

"You honestly think I believe it would have done any good? Please, Misaki, I know you better than that."

"Shouldn't we do something?" Saito whispered to his fellow spectators.

Eri shook her head. "I don't think there's anything we _can _do," she whispered back.

Kaname simply stood back to enjoy the show.

_Why are they fighting over me?_ Itachi wondered.

"Then what ishe, Akira?" Misaki demanded. "If he's not your boyfriend, yet you're living together, what the _hell_ are you to each other?"

A suffocating silence filled the air.

"Well…"

Itachi waited mutely, interested to hear what she would say.

"I'm only saying this once," she declared, glancing at her rival first, and then at Saito, "so listen up." Akira paused for effect. "I," she began, "have absolutely no idea what Itachi is doing here, and to be honest I don't care. The reason he is living with me is because when I met him a week and a half ago, he was injured and needed help, which I kindly provided!"

She shoved a finger in the Uchiha's direction before continuing. "He is only staying with me until he finishes healing, and, afterwards, I could care less what he does. The reason he is not swimming today is because it would not be beneficial for his health."

Akira exhaled deeply, indicating she was finished. "Any questions?"

No one moved.

"Well…" Misaki looked shell-shocked. "That definitely explains things."

"So, you're—" Saito's expression lit up with sparks of hope. Had he not known Akira the way he did, Itachi would be tempted to root for the guy.

"Yeah," she cut off, not looking happy about it. In Saito's eyes, she wasn't "off limits," anymore.

Itachi let out a sigh. Albeit untactful, her explanation had covered the basics. He suddenly froze, a chill running through his blood. Wait, that chakra…

"Anyway—" Akira began.

"Akira," Itachi interrupted in the calmest tone he could muster. A flash of silver caught the Uchiha's eye. He had to act now.

Jumping to his feet, Itachi activated his sharingan and threw himself at Akira. His body collided with the Hyuuga girl's just in time, bringing both of them to the ground. Unfortunately, the person standing behind them wasn't so lucky. Itachi had instantly recognized the flash of silver as a kunai, and that chakra… well, he almost didn't believe it himself.

A shinobi headband gleamed in the sunlight as their attacker revealed himself. The insignia: Amegakure. This ninja was part of the team that had been chasing him and Kisame.

"Just testing your reflexes," their attacker said, probably grinning behind his mask. Itachi knew the man's words were directed at him, but the phrase was general enough that nobody else realized it.

A matching black mask and hood concealed the shiobi's face and hair, similar to what Kakuzu wore. His clothes looked un-kept and dirty, indicating he'd worn the same thing for quite some time. The rest of his outfit was also black without a trace of skin showing, save for the area around his eyes. Not the smartest choice, given the bright day, but, considering the situation, he probably didn't have anything else.

Blood dripped from a kunai clutched in his palm while blue eyes glinted menacingly, looking wide enough to pop out of his skull. The blood was neither Itachi nor Akira's.

Kaname lay on the ground at his feet, both hands clutching her chest. When she brought them away, both palms were sticky with blood.

* * *

Bit more of a fun chapter this time around. Hope you enjoyed~


	4. Chapter 4

Itachi jumped off Akira so quickly she barely registered he was on top of her. The Ame nin rushed forward, his next target the group standing behind the fallen Kaname.

Saito, being the gentleman he was, grabbed Misaki's waist to pull her out the way. Eri reacted more aggressively and met the attack head on, blocking his arm and initiating several strikes of her own before Itachi stepped in. This Ame nin, whoever he was, wasn't serious yet, and Eri didn't stand a chance.

Just then, Itachi seized the shinobi's wrist, catching the man's kunai inches from Eri's cheek. Itachi locked eyes with his opponent and quickly weaved seals with his free hand. He had to get out of here. Not only did he wish to prevent further injury, but he couldn't have this ninja revealing something vital about him.

As if on cue, Akira ran toward them, byakugan activated, but his genjutsu initiated seconds before her attack, a flock of cawing crows replacing Itachi and his opponent. Confused, Akira skidded to an ungraceful stop, staring dumbfounded at the place where he and Kaname's attacker stood only seconds ago.

The crows disappeared one by one. No one moved, but, finally, someone spoke.

"What the hell was that?!" Akira yelled.

* * *

Itachi didn't recognize his new location. All he knew was that it was away—away from Akira and her friends, and away from where he would have to hold back.

"Heh, smart move," the Ame nin remarked, whipping out a summoning scroll. Itachi noted his opponent purposefully avoided making further eye contact with him, preventing additional genjutsu. "As I said," he began, "I was only testing your reflexes."

Itachi's expression remained unchanging as the man tore open the scroll and spun it around himself, summoning a multitude of weapons with the blood from a previous cut. Weapons of all shapes and sizes now hung on chains around the man's body.

"Your partner killed my entire squad, you know." His tone transitioned from casual to seething. "Neither of us could find your body, though. I figured I'd leave him alive to see if he could lead me to you, but no such luck." He sighed. "Truly a pity. I was looking forward to killing both of you myself. That shark partner of yours even high tailed before I had a chance to get rid of him!"

Itachi waited, deciding not to attack while the man blabbed useful information. Good, Kisame was still alive. It also confirmed Itachi's hope that his partner had gone looking for him rather than simply returning to Akatsuki.

"But who would've thought you'd end up taking advantage of an innocent girl like that." Itachi's eyes narrowed at the assassin's next words. "Then again that is what criminals like you are known for, isn't it?"

Itachi had to grit his teeth to keep from lashing out. Clearly, this man was trying to rile him, and, somehow, he knew all the right buttons to push. Now all he needed to do was mention the Uchiha clan and his death sentence was set.

"That girl is merely healing me. She has nothing to do with any of this," Itachi stated. "I do not understand why you felt the need to harm one of her friends." And now he was just confusing himself. Why did he feel the need to defend her?

"Heh. Didn't know you cared." The Ame nin chuckled evilly, twirling a kunai, one of many, on his gloved finger before catching it. He didn't falter once, indicating all those weapons weren't just for show. "Well, let's not just stand here chatting, shall we? I have a mission to finish, alone or not."

"You know my name. It's only fair that I know yours before we fight," Itachi said, his voice deadpan. He couldn't exactly see his face and identify him.

"Fine then." The wrinkles in his mask indicated a smirk. "Shizuka Aoi."

_Shizuka Aoi, huh?_ Itachi didn't recall ever hearing his name before. _I'll have to look that up sometime._

He struck Itachi as an arrogant shinobi, which surprised him. He didn't seem like a coward, so how had he been the only survivor on his team? The Uchiha had a feeling he would soon find out. Aoi's chakra was rather unique, after all.

Aoi seized his first weapon, a small sickle connected to a chain, and dashed toward at the Uchiha. Being unarmed, Itachi side-stepped the attack and snagged a kunai off the man's outfit.

Itachi dodged the next hit and used the kunai to block the rebound, metal clashing against metal as Aoi threw a strike from three o'clock. That chain on Aoi's weapon did not bode well for him. Considering the terrain, it wouldn't be the best idea for him to use a fire jutsu. Starting a forest fire would not assist him in keeping a low profile.

Limited to non-destructive jutsu, he needed genjutsu to win, which required the strain of his sharingan. Worse yet, this shinobi was quite the adversary. He had a way with evading the Uchiha's subtle attempts to make eye contact, limiting most of their battle to taijutsu and filched weaponry.

"You're all talk," Aoi spat, tossing a wave of kunai. Itachi evaded with ease, flipping through the air like a leaf in the wind. All was well until he hit the ground, where Aoi waited with another attack ready. Itachi blocked him, but there was one small problem.

A familiar pain shot through his lower abdomen. He didn't have to look down to confirm the blood seeping through his shirt. Aoi also took notice of this and quickly used the situation to utilize his next weapon of choice, a small katana.

Hand clutching his injury, Itachi retreated as the Ame slashed at him, nicking the Uchiha's left arm.

"Suffering from prior damage, eh, Uchiha?" Aoi laughed sadistically while Itachi's eyes darted around, searching for a nearby weapon. Nothing within reach, but, then again, teleportation jutsu existed for a reason. A series of rushed hand signs later, Itachi appeared behind his opponent—or at least what he'd thought was behind him—with a renewed stock of kunai and shuriken.

Aoi had disappeared into thin air.

_That's odd. Surely my sharingan would have detected him using a teleportation jutsu._

Aoi's chakra presence reappeared just in time. Itachi ducked, barely dodging what would have been a fatal stab to his head.

_So that's it._ Clever, he had to admit, but not clever enough. It certainly explained how someone as arrogant as he had managed to escape someone as ruthless as Kisame. To test his theory, the Uchiha flung his last round of kunai at his opponent. As expected, Aoi's chakra disappeared from his radar again as he "teleported" away.

Itachi smirked. He'd have to risk it. With the way his injury was bleeding he couldn't continue much longer without possibly losing.

The Ame nin's chakra flickered to life again. In turn, a tear of blood slid from Itachi's left eye.

_Amaterasu!_

His jutsu hit its target. A scream echoed through the woods, reaching ears within miles. Itachi's eyes glued to his right flank where a cluster of black flames sprang to life. In the midst of the flames stood—or knelt, actually—a rather distressed Aoi.

"Damn you, Uchiha!" he growled, the jutsu eagerly feasting on his body.

Itachi's stare remained unchanging. He concentrated harder, pouring more chakra into the flames to increase their power. "Burn in hell, shinobi."

A final scream tore through the air before his opponent was reduced to ash. It was over.

Another tear of blood slid down the Uchiha's cheek as he forced the black flames to extinguish. Closing his eyes, he clutched the area with his free hand and exhaled deeply in an attempt to relax his choppy breathing.

Less than a minute later, minus the blood stains below his eye, he was back to his usual self. That had been exerting—a little _too_ exerting.

_It's been a while since I've used that._ Itachi thought, reopening his eyes. These laid back weeks with Akira were making him weak. At least he'd been strong enough to win the fight. Despite the surprise attack and the unfamiliar territory, Aoi had been an easy opponent after he'd seen through the shinobi's jutsu.

Teleportation wasn't quite how Itachi would describe it. It reminded the Uchiha of his former sensei, only Aoi's technique hadn't been nearly as flawless. There was a high possibility that his jutsu was a kekki genkai that captured his opponent in a genjutsu, albeit not a very powerful one, and allowed its user to move at inhuman speeds difficult for even a high class shinobi to attain. Since said user's movements were so fast, it would appear as though he had teleported.

As for the disappearing chakra, that was a part of the genjutsu. The illusion made it appear as though Aoi's presence had vanished, and then it would briefly reappear when the user transitioned to another jutsu. Most shinobi wouldn't have time to act.

Itachi owed his victory to the sharingan and his highly trained reflexes. It had taken little effort to win after he figured out that much. All he had needed to do was carefully trace Aoi's movements with his sharingan and then act accordingly.

Itachi stumbled over the charred ground where his Amaterasu had burned only minutes ago. Oddly enough, he found it more difficult than expected to find his way through the forest. His vision wasn't just blurry anymore. Everything seemed to have a haze looming over it, and objects were appearing darker now.

His eyesight was worsening. This wasn't good. In the least, he had enough chakra left for one more teleportation jutsu. Better to risk that than to wander around aimlessly.

Forming a final set of hand signs, Itachi locked onto Akira's chakra signature and allowed the jutsu to do the rest.

* * *

"Any sign of him?" Akira asked, stealing a glance at Saito and Misaki who stood watch while she and Eri poured their chakra into healing the unconscious Kaname.

"Nothing," Saito admitted.

A look of defeat on her face, the Hyuuga girl returned her attention to her copper-haired friend.

_Where are you, Itachi?_

Seconds after her last thought, the open skin on Kaname's chest closed and Akira's ears detected a familiar chorus of caws. She whipped her head around to see the exact person she'd been worrying about.

_Itachi…_

Without thinking, she stopped the chakra flow to her hands, jumped to her feet and ran toward him. Before comprehending exactly what she was doing, Akira flung her arms around his neck, relief washing over her now that she knew he was safe.

Itachi froze the moment his skin made contact with Akira's. Oddly enough, his mind blanked.

Was she… _hugging_ him?

The girl that he was supposedly "taking advantage of," according to Aoi, actually seemed happy to see him. It was unnerving, to be honest. Itachi had never been a touchy-feely person, and hugs were just out of the question for him. The last time he'd been embraced by another human being had been… well, nearly a decade ago, before the Uchiha massacre.

Needless to say, it didn't bring back any pleasant memories. He refused to budge until she released him.

"What happened?" Akira demanded, the dynamic of her tone increasing. "Where's that shinobi that attacked us?" Her demeanor immediately swung from concerned to interrogating.

"Don't worry about him," Itachi assured, thankful he'd been smart enough to wipe away the blood from his eyes before returning. "He won't be showing his face around here again."

Before she could go on and demand what he meant, a moan sounded in Kaname's direction. She was awake.

"Kaname!" Akira dashed toward her comatose friend and collapsed to her knees beside Eri, who had faithfully remained there the entire time.

Kaname had passed out from shock shortly after Itachi's disappearance. To prevent anything worse from happening, Akira and Eri immediately set to work on healing their friend and had been at it ever since.

"Wha… what happen?" Kaname murmured, her eyes half-lidded. Thankfully, the worst side effect seemed to be drowsiness.

"Nothing of importance," Akira assured. "We'll tell you later."

"Why is…" The kunoichi's emerald eyes descended down to where Aoi's kunai had slit the front of her bathing suit in half. The green material was soaked with dried blood and just barely concealing her breasts. "Ah!" Her hands rushed to cover the area before her top completely slid off.

"Here." Eri handed the kunoichi the jacket she'd been wearing earlier. "This should help."

With the assistance of her two friends, Kaname sat up and hastily pulled on the jacket, gripping either side of the material to cover her chest.

Eri spoke next. "Uchiha-san, your arm..." All attention shifted to the area. "You're bleeding."

"It's nothing." Itachi quickly concealed the wound with his hand. Dammit, he'd missed that.

"Ieh, let me heal you," she insisted, getting to her feet and walking toward him. Itachi didn't bother pushing her hand away. He knew it wouldn't work, but he'd let her try. As expected, she pulled her hand away when the poison in his system rejected her chakra with a shocking jolt.

"Akira, you wouldn't happen to have any antidote on you, would you?" Itachi said through gritted teeth, referring to what she used to aid his body in blood clotting.

"Y-yeah," she stuttered. After rummaging through the colorful beach bag she'd brought with her, the Hyuuga girl brought out a small vial. "Here." She pressed the object into his open palm.

He popped it open and poured the contents down his throat, the medicine leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. It wasn't pleasant, but it certainly beat bleeding to death.

"So, what happens now?" Misaki inquired.

"It wouldn't be a good idea for Kaname to remain here, but you could stay if you'd like," Eri spoke up. "What about you, Akira?"

"I've had enough action for one day," she admitted. "Besides, considering his condition, it would be a good idea for Itachi to go home."

Saito and Misaki stood there, backs leaned up against nearby tree trunks. Their positions hadn't changed at all in the past few minutes. Neither of them knew healing ninjutsu, and therefore had no way of helping anyone.

"It probably wouldn't be a good idea for Kaname to walk home," Akira remarked. She turned to her dark-haired friend. "Who should carry her? I don't mind if you don't want to, Eri."

"No, that's alright—hey!" Kaname stopped mid-sentence as Itachi stooped over and scooped the kunoichi into his strong arms. Kaname turned a deep shade of crimson, despite the near-death experience. Itachi did his best to ignore her.

"Just lead the way," Itachi said shortly.

"Right," Eri sighed. Akira smiled softly, looking touched by his unexpected act of kindness.

Itachi did his best to ignore her, too.

* * *

Misaki cleared her throat, breaking silence building up between her and Saito after the others left.

"Well, I failed miserably," she declared dejectedly. "How'd things go with Akira?"

"Not good," Saito admitted. "I…" he trailed off. "I couldn't do anything when that shinobi, attacked her. Boyfriend or not, that Itachi guy acted more quickly than I ever could have."

"And?"

"And, as much as I hate to admit it, he might be a better choice for her."

"He _was _amazing," Misaki agreed. "Stepping in so gallantly…" Her mind flashed back to when Saito had pulled her out of harm's way.

"By the way," she added, "thanks for saving me." He didn't seem to hear her over his moping. The brunette frowned. "I _said_, thanks for saving me!" she repeated irritably, breaking the shinobi out of his thoughts.

"Huh, what?"

Misaki sighed. "Never mind." Awkward silence built up between them again. "I guess I'll have to give up my hopes of winning him," Misaki murmured, unintentionally thinking aloud.

Saito raised an eyebrow, surprised at her words. "Whoa, whoa, wait! Are you sure you're feeling okay?" he inquired, pressing a hand to the back of her forehead. "That isn't something you'd normally say."

"Yes, I'm _fine_!" Misaki growled, slapping away his hand. "And you're one to talk! You're no better off than I am!"

"I suppose you're right," Saito admitted, looking away from her and staring up at the bright blue sky. "Do you want to try again sometime?"

Misaki sighed again. "To be honest Saito, despite all that's happened, he's rather boring and, dare I say it, rude," she began, blushing faintly. "I admit he's easy on the eyes, but I tried talking to him and he completely ignored me. Not to mention, Akira said that his stay isn't permanent." She folded her arms across her chest, nose in the air. "That being said, I see no point in getting attached to him."

Saito blinked a few times, tempted to pinch himself to ensure he wasn't dreaming. "So you're giving up?"

She didn't reply, her lips creased into a frown.

Saito couldn't resist saying more. "_Really_?"

"Hey, I just admitted defeat! You have no idea how rare that is!" Misaki snapped, wanting nothing more than to slap the smug expression off his face. Thankfully for him, she refrained from doing so.

"Well, I just admitted that Itachi has me beat for Akira," Saito retorted. Misaki kept scowling, which, for some reason, annoyed him. "And would you stop looking at me like that? It really doesn't suit you." Icy blue glared into vivid orange, but, after a few seconds, the tension faded.

"I guess we're going to have to find a different activity to occupy the afternoon then." Looking away, Misaki motioned to the forgotten picnic basket. "We didn't even have lunch together. And I wanted to see if Itachi liked my cooking!"

_What was that about defeat?_ Saito wondered. He quickly steered his mind away from the topic. Ah well. One way or another, he wanted at least one good thing to happen today, so he may as well offer.

"If you want, I could eat with you."

"What?"

"I didn't do very much, but we were swimming, so I'm hungry," Saito repeated, elaborating. "I may not be able to finish it all, but I can try."

Her eyes immediately lit up, warming the shinobi's heart. For once, she smiled genuinely. "You'd better. I don't want any of this to go to waste!"

Moments later, Misaki dragged him over to the shady area where they'd abandoned the picnic basket. Despite the situation, Sait couldn't help but grin, too. At least he'd managed to make Misaki smile. The duo sat down on the soft grass while the brunette cracked open the goods and began distributing them.

"You know what, Misaki?" Saito began, making the whirlpool girl look up from her task. "You're all right."

Still smiling, Misaki blushed. "Thanks, so are you."

Turning her attention back to food serving, Misaki found herself dwelling on the small compliment while Saito made an effort to keep his facial expression pleasant. One thought dominated his mind: _I hope she's not a terrible cook._

* * *

"Just a bit farther, Kaname," Eri informed softly as the four of them made their way down the path. Signs of civilization were in sight now.

"No rush." The formerly injured kunoichi was not complaining in the least. She seemed perfectly comfortable with Itachi carrying her home. If anything, she was enjoying it a little too much.

Itachi, in an attempt to soothe his over-active mind, tried to tell himself he was simply doing the right thing. It wouldn't be appropriate to make Akira or Eri do something like this when he was perfectly capable. Besides, he didn't have the chance to do the right thing very often.

"You can put her over here." Holding the door open to Kaname's house, Eri motioned to a couch only a few yards from the doorway.

Itachi silently obeyed. Kaname, however, was not so silent.

"Thank you so, much, Itachi!" she beamed as he gently set her down on the soft cushions. He nodded politely in reply.

"I'll take it from here," Eri assured, coming to his rescue. Her gaze rested on the incision on his left arm. "You two should probably head home."

"Hn."

"Thanks, Eri," Akira said, stepping forward to embrace her friend. She followed through with the same show of affection for Kaname. "Be sure to take it easy, Kaname."

"I will!" she assured, and, with that, Itachi and Akira left.

"It's good to know she's alright," Akira murmured once they were a good distance away from the house. Silence built between them for a few minutes. "So, what exactly happened?" Akira finally asked.

"Define 'what.'" Itachi had to resist the urge to smirk at her expression.

"What," she began, her eyes narrowed, "being what happened to the guy who attacked Kaname? You failed to elaborate that in your explanation."

Itachi didn't reply immediately. Would it really be a good idea to say that he was dead? "He won't be coming back to the Whirlpool Village."

"You said that already!"

"Then just accept it and move on."

"Why you—" she cut herself off, clenching her fists. She looked so infuriated that he half-expected to see smoke coming out of her ears. The Uchiha allowed himself a smirk this time. Her reactions were so predictable.

"He won't be bothering you again. What more information do you need?"

Akira sighed, obviously dissatisfied with his answer. "Just making sure."

"Hn." The awkward silence returned with a vengeance. Once again, Akira was the one to break it.

"Thank you for… _everything _today…" she trailed off. Itachi quickly noticed of the red color blooming on her cheeks. He said nothing. She took that as a "Go on."

"I don't even want to think about what would have happened if you weren't there, and I know you didn't even _want _to be there in the first place, so…."

"Hn?"

Her expression immediately changed back from embarrassed to angry. "Would you stop saying that?!"

"Saying what?" She knew he was just playing dumb. He could clearly see the red vein popping in her forehead.

"Anyway," she continued, her sweet demeanor long gone, "thank you for saving my friends despite all that's happened!" She glared daggers at him, contradicting her thank you, but Itachi didn't mind in the slightest. He still had no idea why flustering her amused him so much.

"You're welcome then." But he may as well try to calm her down before things got out of hand. He didn't want her being angry at him so close to lunch time. Speaking of which, he was a bit hungry.

"Well, now that that's settled," she began, increasing her pace a few strides. "Race you home? I didn't get much of a workout swimming."

Itachi didn't bother to follow her lead. "Need I remind you that I'm injured?"

She frowned, slowing down a bit. "Need I remind you that you're a complete stick in the mud?"

The Uchiha sighed aloud, in denial of what he was about to do. Why did she consistently feel the need to call him names?

"Fine. You're the healing nin."

Her face glowed with joy, not that he cared if she was happy or anything. To be honest, Itachi had no idea why he'd chosen to give in to her.

"Last person there does the dishes!" she called, taking off in an attempt to obtain a good head start. Itachi just half-smiled as he channeled the remainder of his chakra to his feet. This girl had no idea who she was dealing with.

A powerful gust of wind whizzed by the Hyuuga girl, whipping her blonde hair in all directions. She thought nothing of it until she reached her destination a few minutes later to see her competitor patiently waiting for her on the front porch. Itachi purposely made an effort to look bored.

"Ah. Finally made it I see."

She scowled and angrily thrust her pointer finger at him. "Hey! When the hell did you pass me?!"

Turning around, Itachi chuckled to himself and slid the front door open to make his way inside. She continued ranting inaudibly.

He was actually starting to like it here.

* * *

More kiratachi moments to come. Review?


	5. Chapter 5

Akira panted heavily, hands on her knees. _Almost there,_ she thought, rising back to her full height. Just a bit more and she could finally master her new jutsu.

Against her better judgment, she left Itachi unsupervised at home while she trained by herself for a bit. It was a great stress reliever, but she shivered to think what might happen while she wasn't there.

Snatching up the water bottle she brought with her, Akira hastily unscrewed the cap and took a sip. She should be heading home now. After all, she had been gone for nearly two hours and it was way past lunch time. The last thing she wanted was for Itachi to come looking for her.

Although, quite the contrary, looking for her was the last thing on the Uchiha's mind. She came home to an empty house, and, after rushing back outside and activating her byakugan, she discovered her fellow resident a few miles south doing some training himself. Deciding it best not to disturb him, Akira headed back inside and made her way to the bathroom.

Due to the intensity of her training, she was covered in sweat and in dire need of a shower.

She slammed the bathroom door behind her before yanking out her hair tie and peeling off her first article of clothing. Knowing Itachi, he wouldn't be back for a while, so she didn't have to worry about bringing a change of clothes in with her. Akira finished undressing and turned on the shower. The inviting sound of water beating against the inner ceramic wall serenaded the Hyuuga girl until it was finally hot enough for her to jump in.

Liquid cascaded down the kunoichi's bare back, soaking her loose blonde hair while the steam soothed her aching muscles. Akira breathed a contented sigh. After a training session like that, a hot shower felt heavenly.

* * *

Itachi inclined his head toward Akira's house as he felt her chakra return.

_Akira's back? _About time. Stepping forward to withdraw the kunai he had thrown at a nearby tree, Itachi smoothly returned the weapons back into the pouch he discovered in Akira's room earlier that morning. With that, Itachi turned on his heel to head back.

He had been testing the affects of his worsened eyesight. He hadn't fiddled with any ninjutsu yet, just simple weapons training and reflexes. The results were mediocre and disappointing, but he should be thankful he could see anything at this point.

His eyes were losing their light more quickly than anticipated. He needed to learn to fight or at least fake it without using his vision and fast, although Itachi was not entirely sure how. His senses were sharp, but his perception of things heavily relied on his eyes.

Now back at the house, Itachi slid open the front door to enter. After leaving his shoes in their usual place, the Uchiha fully noticed how damp his clothes were. Despite only honing taijutsu that afternoon, he managed to work up a sweat. It had felt good to not hold back.

Upon entering Akira's room, Itachi detected the scent of steaming water. Akira had taken a shower while he was away. For once, they thought alike. Itachi too was quite ready for a hot shower.

After snatching a change of clothes from the stash Akira purchased for him, the Uchiha nonchalantly walked the remainder of the distance to the one and only bathroom in the house.

* * *

Upon turning off the shower water, Akira remained in place for a few minutes, savoring the warmth. Once the steam evaporated, the kunoichi shivered, instinctively raising her arms to cover her chest. Without the hot water beating down on her, the area became cold very quickly.

Pausing to squeeze the moisture out of her soft blonde hair, Akira gripped the curtain and pulled it aside to step out of the shower and blindly grope around for a towel.

Her fingers made contact with something, but if felt solid with an odd, inviting smoothness to it. Most certainly not the fluffy white linen she desired. Turning her head, Akira's lavender eyes grew to twice their normal size.

Standing before her was an equally wide-eyed, half-naked Uchiha Itachi. He looked at her like he had never seen another human being before. Then it hit her: she was still naked.

* * *

This could not be happening. Absolutely not. It had to be an illusion, a dream, anything!

But no matter how Itachi looked at it, this was reality. The Uchiha could only wonder what the hell reality was thinking throwing him into a situation like this.

Casually enough, Itachi had entered the bathroom and tossed his clean clothes into the corner before stripping off his shirt, revealing a muscular physique and smooth skin, save for the occasional battle scar and the unhealed wound from the poisoned katana. At that point, nothing seemed out of the ordinary until he noticed Akira's clothes were there as well. Then it occurred to him how unnervingly close her chakra felt. Sure enough, said girl stepped out of the shower seconds later, her pale skin sleek with water.

She didn't detect him at first. With her face turned away, the blonde kunoichi flipped her long damp hair over her shoulder before extending her right hand with the intention of what looked like grabbing a towel. Instead, her hand touched his bare chest.

Itachi didn't move, even when Akira looked his way. It baffled him, because he, Uchiha Itachi, the S ranked criminal and member of Akatsuki, never just ceased moving!

It took a second for the Hyuuga girl to realize the situation. Judging by the glassy look in her eyes, she, like him, was in denial. But, as he said before, this was definitely reality. A sad, terrible reality that he was about to suffer for. Even with his poor eyesight, Akira was close enough for him to see all of her clearly.

For the longest time, nobody moved. Then, Akira withdrew her hand from his chest. The Hyuuga girl's face contorted into an expression of intense fury, her narrowed eyes glaring holes in him. Itachi remained frozen in place.

"What the hell," she seethed, clenching her fist, "do you think you're doing?!"

Thanks to years of training and a wonderful thing called muscle memory, Itachi dodged her first punch without thinking. His mind snapped back to attention. He had to get out of here, before this terrible misunderstanding became any worse.

That punch was only the beginning of Akira's barrage. But, blinded by rage, Akira failed to consider their territory. The tiled bathroom floor was damp and therefore slippery from the shower she had taken, and Akira was about to find out that throwing a punch on a slippery floor was not the best idea if she didn't want to trip.

And trip she did, right into Itachi's arms.

He hadn't expected her to fall, and, because of this, Itachi hadn't thought to stagger his leg back to stabilize his stance. The combined factors resulted in the couple tumbling to the floor in a giant heap of exposed skin, flowing hair and missing towels.

* * *

"Won't Akira be surprised to see us!" Kaname grinned as she and Eri approached the Hyuuga girl's house. Continuing up to the front door, Eri timidly knocked.

"I'm sure she'll be happy to know you made a full recovery from yesterday," Eri agreed.

After the previous day's disaster, the three whirlpool kunoichi agreed never to mention the subject again once they were sure Kaname was completely healed. Now that she was, Eri suggested they visit Akira and proceed to drag her out for some much-needed girl time. But, oddly enough, Akira wasn't answering her door.

"Do you think she's there?" Kaname wondered.

Eri shrugged and knocked again. Still no answer.

"Maybe she's in the shower," Kaname suggested.

Eri shook her head. "Then Uchiha-san would answer for her."

Seconds after the kunoichi's words, a loud _crash_ rang out.

"We're intruding!" Kaname declared. The door was unlocked, and, after flinging it open, Kaname dashed inside with Eri close behind.

* * *

Just his luck, Itachi narrowly missed landing on the small pile of clothes that would have spared him a splitting headache. He must have blacked out for a second, because the next thing Itachi knew, he lay on his back with a heavy weight on his chest, preventing him from sitting up or breathing. The Uchiha's vision finally focused enough for him to see what was going on, but, at the moment, Itachi wished he were still unconscious.

A familiar blonde head was buried face down in his chest. Worse yet, the owner of said head was ungracefully sprawled on top of him, pinning the rest of Itachi's limbs. When she looked up to meet his gaze, Itachi swore she used a genjutsu to keep him immobile.

"I-Itachi…" Akira stuttered.

The two mindlessly stared at each other. Akira seemed to forget _she_ was the one lying on top of _him_.

"Would you mind getting off me?"

"Eh?" His words broke the Hyuuga girl out of her trance. "What?"

"I can't move. Please get _off_!"

Without further hesitation, Akira retreated to steady herself on a nearby wall while Itachi staggered to his feet, leaning his back against the door. His fingers gingerly brushed the back of his head. As suspected, a new lump had formed.

"Why are you yelling at me? You walked in on me, hentai!" Akira snapped, regaining her composure.

Itachi didn't reply. How could he? He didn't have an answer. Not to mention, the throbbing cranial pain disabled his usual reasoning ability.

And just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, they did.

A heavy object smacked Itachi in the back, disrupting his balance once again. The room he and Akira shared was hardly spacious, and, with nothing to steady himself on, the Uchiha fell in the only available direction: forward, where Akira still stood.

Another _crash_ ripped through the air. Only this time, Akira was the one being pinned down.

"Is everyone all right?" Itachi's blood ran cold when he recognized the intruder's voice: Kaname, with Eri right behind her.

* * *

"Is everyone all right?" The words escaped Kaname's lips before she properly evaluated the situation. She and Eri had come running from the first crash, and then, after literally throwing herself at the door to open it, another loud noise followed, although, neither kunoichi expected something like this.

No one seemed to be in trouble. Quite the contrary, actually. It was just Itachi and Akira. Together. In the bathroom. Naked.

Eri slammed the door before either of them could see anything else.

"Eri," Kaname began, her face frozen in an expression of shock, "we both saw that, right?"

Her friend nodded slowly. The two healers turned to each other with a mutual look of understanding. Being careful not to push, both girls pressed an ear to the bathroom door.

* * *

"Dammit…" Akira swore under her breath, somehow managing to speak despite having the wind knocked out of her. Stars obscured her vision and by now she was painfully aware she had tripped again. What was the cause now?

The first thing she saw once her eyes focused was Uchiha Itachi's face resting mere centimeters away from hers. Next, she noticed his body firmly pressed over hers, their noses touching and legs intertwined. Akira turned bright red. _What the—_

A shooting pain interrupted her thoughts. On top of everything else, she also had one hell of a headache. Akira forced herself to concentrate despite the discomfort. She needed to extricate herself.

The kunoichi attempted to shove his massive form off of her, but failed miserably. Pushing himself to his knees, the Uchiha released her, albeit more slowly than she would have liked. Free at last, Akira reached out to snatch the nearest towel off the wall hook and quickly wrapped it around herself. She jumped to her feet, anger renewed. Her step swayed slightly, but Itachi didn't dare offer a hand to steady her.

Another thought occurred to her: Kaname and Eri were just outside the door.

_What are they doing here at a time like this? _Akira wondered, extremely frustrated. And she had thought it was embarrassing when her friends discovered Itachi. This was a hundred times worse!

"Get. Out." She didn't know what else to say.

Itachi stared at her blankly.

"GET THE HELL OUT!" Akira screamed, adding a few syllables. Pausing to stoop down, she scooped up the clothes Itachi brought in with him and flung them toward his face. He caught every garment without a problem.

"You do realize that wasn't not my fault," he stated coolly.

"I don't care, get out!"

He finally obeyed her but not without first exploiting Kaname and Eri's eavesdropping.

"What are you doing?" Itachi frowned. Laughing nervously, both of them scurried away from the now open door.

"Uchiha-san," Eri greeted, smiling once she and Kaname were a safe distance away. Her efforts failed to calm him. In return, Itachi gave the duo the darkest glare they had ever seen before walking out of sight.

Kaname looked torn between ogling the man and quivering in fear.

Curiosity replacing her shock, Eri's chocolate gaze lingered on the shirtless Uchiha, specifically his left bicep. Kaname didn't seem to notice, but there was a small black tattoo resembling the shape of a leaf. Eri knew that symbol. Unmistakably, that was a leaf ANBU tattoo, the mark of the Konohagakure elite.

Her ebony brow crinkled in confusion. What was someone from Konoha doing here?

"Ahem!"

All eyes turned to the towel-clad Hyuuga girl. Arms folded across her chest, Akira glared at them with enough intensity to rival Itachi. Her expression soon softened and a light blush replaced the anger burning in her eyes.

"That was NOT what it looked like," she said flatly.

"I'm sure." Kaname's sarcastic tone earned her an elbow in the ribs from Eri.

"Then what was… _that_?" Eri trailed off, blushing a bit herself, but willing to hear her friend out. She had to admit something about that situation seemed a bit off. Kaname, on the other hand, wasn't so patient.

"So, what'd we interrupt?" she inquired smugly.

Eri elbowed her again, giving the copper-haired kunoichi a warning glare. With a brief "Itai!" of submission, Kaname shut her mouth.

"Well?" Eri tried to make her voice sound understanding.

Looking away, Akira awkwardly shifted her weight between each foot. "Could I get dressed first?"

* * *

One new set of clothes, two minutes, and three cups of tea later, all was explained.

"So both crashes we heard were just you two tripping?" Kaname blinked in confusion. With Akira fully dressed and her headache healed, the three of them now gathered around the Hyuuga girl's dining room table. "But what were both of you doing in the bathroom at the same time?"

"I already told you, Kaname. I don't know why, but _he_ walked in on _me_. Knowing that Uchiha, he probably thought I was gone already," Akira frowned, unaware of how right she was. "Besides, you two were responsible for part of it. Don't open the door so forcibly next time."

"Sorry," Kaname laughed nervously, a sweat drop running down the side of her face. "Speaking of Itachi, where did he go?"

Akira and Eri shrugged.

"Who knows?" Akira sighed. "He's unpredictable."

"I'm sure he'll come back when he's hungry," Eri assured.

"Anyway," Kaname interjected, turning her attention back to Akira, "we still haven't told you our reason for coming here."

"Oh?" Akira eyed them suspiciously. "And why might that be?"

Eri paused to sip her tea. "We were thinking that you could use some time away from home, so Kaname and I were wondering if you wanted to go to town for some shopping."

"Really?" Akira's expression brightened. "That sounds like fun!"

"And we both agreed that Itachi shouldn't come. You're okay with leaving him here for a while, right?" Kaname confirmed.

Akira nodded her approval. "I've left him here by himself before and nothing detrimental has happened."

The trio headed out roughly ten minutes later, all thoughts concerning the day's misunderstanding aside. They reached town in five short minutes, although, oddly enough, their tiny village bustled with more excitement than usual.

"I wonder what's going on," Kaname remarked, curiously examining the many stalls and stands being set up. The smell of freshly baked goods wafted through the air. Then, a little girl and what was probably her older brother brushed by them, both clad in colorful yukata.

"Must be a festival," Eri deduced. "That's odd. I don't recall hearing about it."

"Well, that makes our job easier!" Kaname declared, seizing both her friends' wrists. "I know the perfect place to hit first!"

Before Akira could protest, she and Eri were dragged into clothing store. Kimonos of all colors, shapes, and sizes were displayed in the shop windows and every other place imaginable. The Hyuuga girl immediately realized her friend's intention.

"And we need kimonos _why_?" Akira frowned as they browsed through the many selections.

"For the festival of course!" Kaname grinned, thrusting a few garments into her friend's arms. "Hm." Her expression became thoughtful at her next choice. "Eri, what do you think?"

"For who?" the dark-haired kunoichi inquired.

"For you, of course!" Kaname replied. She paused to glance around the vicinity. "Now, where are those fitting rooms?"

When the trio left the store, each girl emerged with a purchase of her own, although some more begrudgingly than others.

"I can't believe you made me buy that," Akira lamented, shifting the plastic shopping bag on her wrist. "That was expensive, too."

"Don't worry about it," Kaname assured, also lugging a bag of her own. "It's okay to splurge sometimes."

"Yeah, but still…" Akira dejectedly examined the remaining amount of money in her wallet. "I wish I'd brought more."

"It looks beautiful on you, though," Eri said. "And I'd have to say the same for you, Kaname."

"Thanks. I can't wait to wear it tonight!" Kaname grinned. "Now, where should we go next?"

Dusk came before Kaname was finally satisfied and agreed to head home. But, despite being dragged around, Akira had to admit she had fun. Shopping with her friends was a nice break from reality, even if she bought a few things she didn't really need.

At the moment, they were heading home to finalize their kimonos for the evening. They agreed to meet up again at the festival, but there was one small detail Akira overlooked.

"Hey, Akira," Eri began.

"Hm?"

"Do you plan on bringing Uchiha-san with you to the festival?" she inquired. "He's never been into town before, has he?"

"I suppose he hasn't." Akira shifted her gaze to the ground.

Kaname eyed the Hyuuga girl suspiciously. "Are you still mad at him?"

"Well, I didn't exactly clear things up with him. He disappeared before I could say anything," she admitted, tapping her index fingers together. "To be honest, I'm not sure if Itachi would actually _want_ to get out of the house. Knowing him, he'd rather stay home and read or something."

"But you never know until you ask," Eri pointed out. "Besides, even if you aren't, he probably still thinks you're mad at him. What better way to clear things up?"

Akira looked away again. "I… I guess so…"

_Would Itachi actually want to go to a festival with me?_ she wondered as they neared the splitting paths between their houses. Her mind unwillingly flashed back to their humiliating experience earlier that day, making her blush again.

_What am I getting embarrassed for? That was his fault, anyway._

"Good luck, Akira!" Kaname called as she and Eri veered left while she continued walking straight.

"Bye!" Akira waved, but all she could think about was Itachi the entire way back. As she neared her doorstep, she made up her mind.

_I'll just ask him casually, _she decided. _I__f I act like that shower scene slip up never happened, maybe he'll forget all about it! _She knew it sounded naïve, but, at this point, she didn't really care. All she needed was an excuse, but first she had to find him.

"Itachi!" Akira called. She was back inside now and nearing her bedroom.

No response.

_Maybe he's out training._

Opening the door to her bedroom, Akira walked inside, glancing out one more time to ensure there were no signs of the Uchiha. By now, she gave up trying to sense his presence.

_I guess I'll make Kaname happy and change first,_ Akira thought defeatedly, sighing to herself as she tossed the shopping bags onto her bed. _Now to find the one containing my kimono._

* * *

Finally an update. I've had this for a while, I just took my time posting it. Hope everyone enjoyed the bit of comedy with a twist of plot. Festival to come in the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

Continuation of last chapter, commence~

* * *

Itachi quietly slipped back into the house, his forehead glistening with sweat from training. He felt Akira's presence leave earlier with her friends but, after what happened, hadn't dared approach them.

Training had served as an effective distraction to avoid the inevitable for a time, but now he had to wake the sleeping demon. He could already hear Akira screaming at him, despite his vain attempts to tell her it was all a misunderstanding. Realistically, he would be lucky if she bothered to keep him long enough to continue researching the antidote.

Itachi continued until he reached the door to Akira's bedroom. Now all he needed to do was change clothes, bide his time by reading in the study and then wait for Akira to hunt him down with an eviction notice. The Uchiha sighed at his last thought. This was not at all how he had pictured himself leaving.

After Itachi slid the door open and walked inside, a flash of blue caught his darkening vision. It was Hyuuga Akira.

_Not good! _Itachi mentally cursed his poor eyesight. He needed to up his training. Hadn't he already been careless enough today?

"Itachi?" He tore his eyes away from the Hyuuga girl, refusing to look at her for fear of what she may be wearing. All he had seen was a small glimpse of blue. If he walked in on her changing, he was a dead man.

On a different note, her voice sounded cheerier than expected. He refused to let his guard down on this tiny assumption, but, in the least, she didn't sound like she was about to throw him out, although, he could never be too sure with this girl. Her moods fluctuated more than the ocean waves during a hurricane.

"What are you looking at?"

Itachi's gaze darted back to the Hyuuga girl. Why wasn't she angry? Completely forgetting his original objective to not look at her no matter what, Itachi, quite the contrary, found himself staring.

For some reason, Akira was wearing a… kimono?

Her garment mainly consisted of a light blue silk similar to the color she usually wore. The hue gradually transitioned to a darker blue at bottom of her sleeves and the section near her feet. Small silver white Sakura blossoms intermingled and clumped where the colors transitioned but not enough to look crowded and a cluster of matching white flowers tied off the end of her usual braid.

Next, his attention descended to the broad obi hugging her waist, which matched the darkest blue at the hem of Akira's sleeves while her obijime, on contrary, was purple. Her feet were not-so-usually clad in tabi socks and kimono sandals. It was different, but not unpleasant in the slightest.

"Well…?" her voice trailed off expectantly. She whipped out a fan from her kimono sleeve, opening it to reveal white paper imprinted with a lovely floral design that also matched her outfit. Little did he know that fan was one of many little accessories Kaname insisted the Hyuuga girl purchase.

Bringing his eyes back up to her face, Itachi found his voice. "Why are you wearing a kimono?"

Her shy smile instantly contorted into an angry scowl. Wrong answer, apparently. Now, Akira looked about to yell. Itachi braced himself for impact, but nothing happened. Locking eye contact with the girl, Itachi found no hint of irritation left in those lavender orbs.

"There's a festival in town," Akira explained, her tone surprisingly mellow. She laughed nervously at her next sentence. "Kaname, well… she persuaded me to get a kimono while we were out."

"I take it you're returning to the festival then?"

She nodded, her expression transitioning back to shy as she tapped her index fingers together, only confusing him all the more.

"Itachi," she began, "I was wondering…"

"Hn?"

"Would you like to come to the festival with me?"

Itachi blinked several times, momentarily questioning his sanity. Had he heard her correctly?

She misinterpreted his emotions as uninterested. "Y-you don't have to go if you don't want to, you know," she stuttered, her cheeks burning redder than his sharingan. "I'm fine with going by myself."

"No, I…" Itachi found himself trailing off. What was wrong with him? He didn't have a speech impediment. "If you're all right with it, I would not mind accompanying you."

"Good then!" Her face spread into a broad grin. "Whenever you're ready, then."

"I would like to change first. I was training."

"Okay!" The Hyuuga girl scurried to the door. "I'll be in the dining room!" The wooden object slammed shut. Itachi could still hear Akira's footsteps as she headed to her destination.

The Uchiha's thoughts were in a jumble as he procured a new set of clothing. Only one coherent phrase strung together in his head.

_What the hell just happened?_

* * *

Akira exhaled deeply, snapping her fan shut and clutching it in her palm in an attempt to regain her composure. Her cheeks flamed red.

_That was harder than I thought._

She didn't like admitting it, but she wasn't completely over the incident from this afternoon. Every time she saw him, she couldn't help but remember it. Akira sighed in defeat. How was she supposed to make it through an hour with this guy, let alone an entire evening?

_At least Kaname and Eri will be there. That should make tonight bearable._

"Akira?" The kunoichi jumped.

"Done already?" Somehow, she kept an even tone upon speaking.

"Hn." The expression he gave her unnerved her a bit. Upon closer inspection, she detected traces of confusion in his eyes, and with Itachi she practically had to use her byakugan to see that much.

They walked the entire way downtown in silence. Itachi saw no point in idle conversation, and Akira simply didn't know what to say. Awkward could only begin to describe the situation. When they arrived, the town still bustled with excitement, and colorful lights illuminated the evening sky in the place of the sun.

"So… where should I show you first?" Akira mused, unconsciously reaching for the Uchiha's hand. Looking surprised, he attempted to pulled away when she locked their fingers.

"What was that for?" Akira demanded, frowning but refusing to let go.

"I could ask you the same question."

"I can't have you getting lost."

He gave her one of his infamous looks.

"Besides, it's only until we find Kaname and Eri," she finished, her voice transitioning to a murmur.

* * *

Itachi still questioned his decision to let her do as she pleased. He didn't mind the over-crowded streets or even the fact he could barely see half the things she pointed to. Rather, it was her dragging him around hand-in-hand like a small child that irked him. Although she attempted to be considerate, her methods remained questionable. He didn't like physical contact to begin with, and, although he couldn't think of one, there had to be a better way to do this.

But, despite the discomfort, he did nothing.

She jabbered on and on about this and that, continuing to lug him around like a piece of luggage as she explained the sights and sounds of her village. It was nostalgic in an odd, messed up sort of way. Now that he thought about it, this village did remind him of a miniature version of Konoha.

Catching himself there, Itachi dismissed all thoughts concerning his former home. The last thing he needed to be was homesick for Konoha. He left that village a long time ago, and although he hadn't desired to leave in the first place, he could never go back. The best he could do was work toward Sasuke's best interest so his brother could return there.

Half an hour later, she finished giving him the grand tour. By now, Itachi actually felt somewhat comfortable in the area. Now all she needed to do was let go of his hand…

"Akira? Uchiha-san?"

The duo spun around. Itachi recognized the speaker as Koizuki Eri, and, just like every other time they bumped into her, Itsumade Kaname stood beside her.

"We were wondering when we would locate you two!" Kaname chirped, grinning.

His wish was finally granted when the Hyuuga girl released his hand to properly greet her friends.

"You look great!" Akira exclaimed, returning the smile. Her eyes rested on Eri first. "That kimono suits you."

Trying not to squint, Itachi followed the Hyuuga girl's gaze to examine the dark-haired kunoichi. Like Akira, both she and Kaname were colorfully clad.

Eri's kimono was a rich purple with softball-sized yellow flowers on her arms, rare sections of her torso, and more commonly from the waist down. Her obi was the same red color he often saw her wear and her obijime was a duller yellow than the flowers. Akira was right that it suited her, although she didn't look nearly as brilliant as the Hyuuga girl did.

Itachi turned his attention to Kaname before he could fully register his last thought. Her kimono was mainly a golden yellow with green stitched bamboo patterns. Her obi was a vivid orange color and her obijime the same green color as the leafy designs. Additionally, Kaname's hair was pulled back into a bun with a matching hairpin. The yellow outfit was a different color for her, but she didn't look bad, either.

"Have you two done any shopping yet?" Eri inquired softly.

"Nope. I was just showing Itachi around," Akira replied, sounding as if she had completely forgotten he was there. He couldn't complain. Fading into the background had always been his preference.

The three girls rambled for what felt like an eternity. Why they enjoyed discussing such pointless things was beyond him, but, just in time, Eri came to his rescue.

"Kaname?" the shy girl cut in, drawing all attention to herself. She faltered for a second, but soon overcame it. "I just remembered something we have to do!" She smiled again. "Sorry, Akira."

Itachi breathed a mental sigh of relief, but it was short lived. There was a scheming edge to Eri's voice. Judging by Akira's expression, she realized it, as well, but too late. Kaname briefly looked confused, but, after exchanging a quick smirk with Eri, she also broke out into a broad grin.

"Oh, yeah," she exclaimed, palming her forehead in a way that made her excuse look incredibly fake. "I can't believe I forgot. Thanks, Eri!"

_They planned this, didn't they?_ Itachi resisted the urge to sigh. At times like this, he almost missed the chaos of Akatsuki.

"See you later, Akira! Have fun with Itachi!" Kaname called, she and Eri running away before the Hyuuga girl could fully react.

"Wait! Don't…" Akira trailed off, her fingers outstretched. She slowly withdrew her hand, knowing it was pointless.

"I can't believe they just did that…"

Itachi couldn't help but agree.

"We didn't even get to go shopping."

Although he was somewhat thankful for that detail.

_I suppose everything has its advantages._

"So…" Akira turned back to him with a weary look on her face. "What now?"

"I suppose we could return early, given the situation."

"Hell no!" she interjected, surprising him. "I didn't get all dressed up for nothing! Do you have any idea how long it takes to put one of these things on? Besides, knowing those two, they're probably just going to a different section of the festival and hoping I won't find them!"

"Do as you please." Whatever she chose, it wasn't like he had much of a say, anyway.

"Let's make the best of it, then." Akira sighed again. "How does ramen sounds to you?"

Itachi paused, wondering if he heard her correctly. "Pardon?"

"Ramen." She frowned. "You _do_ know what that is, right?"

"Of course. I would not be opposed to it, although I have no means in which to pay for it."

"Don't worry, I'll treat you," Akira assured, motioning to the kimono sleeve containing her wallet. "Just have fun, okay?"

The Uchiha did his best not to gawk. She was being so friendly he momentarily considered finding a nice quiet area and interrogating her where the real Akira was.

Minutes later, she'd dragged him to a nearby ramen stand (and had thankfully refrained from doing so literally this time). The alluring aroma of fresh food beckoned them in.

"Welcome!" A short, slightly plump old lady with pulled back gray hair greeted them. She was dressed in chef attire and stood behind a counter with numerous stools positioned in front of it.

After a brief look around, Itachi found this place also reminded him of Konoha. The layout was eerily similar to Ichiraku's ramen stand. It brought back memories—memories he was trying very hard to forget.

"Two chicken ramen, please!" Akira called. The old woman smiled warmly at her.

"About time you brought in a guy with you." She winked, making Itachi feel extremely uncomfortable.

Akira's face mirrored his emotions. She blushed for the millionth time that day.

"I-it's not like that, Fuu. He's just a friend," she stuttered. Fuu cackled at her red cheeks.

_Friend?_ It was certainly an improvement from some of the other things she called him, but her words, nonetheless, surprised him. She actually considered him a friend now?

"Like I'd believe that," Fuu declared, preparing their order as she spoke. She turned her attention to Itachi. "I don't recognize you. Do you live in this village?"

"No."

"Oh? A foreigner, eh?" Her toothless grin didn't make him feel any safer. "Nice going, Akira. He's quite a looker."

"Kaname, Eri, and I stop by here sometimes after training," Akira explained, noticing his lost look. "The food here is really good."

"Hn." Seconds after his reply, two steaming bowls of ramen were thrust in front of them.

"Enjoy! It's not every day I get to serve a couple on a date!" The elderly chef still smiled. Her eyes glinted mischievously.

"Curse you, Eri, Kaname," Akira muttered, breaking apart her chopsticks. "Itadikimasu!"

Minus the grumbling, Itachi copied her movements.

The savory flavor of ramen coated Itachi's taste buds as he sampled the noodles. And, against his will, the familiar taste finally conquered his resolve to forget.

_"__Niisan! Let's go for ramen!" a seven-year-old Sasuke called to the reluctant older brother trailing behind him. So reluctant, in fact, that Sasuke had to grab the preteen's arm and pull him just to keep up. "Come on! I'm hungry!"_

_"__Are you sure you want ramen, Sasuke?"_

_They had just finished training, and, through some miracle, the brothers came out injury free. Itachi wasn't the slightest bit concerned about himself, but his younger sibling's habit of ignoring his limits and hurting himself concerned him. Not to mention, his mother's wrath when she found out was not a force to be reckoned with._

_"__Yep!" Sasuke grinned. He continued his childish rambling. "Let's go to Ichiraku's! The food there is so good, and Ayame-san is so nice! I hope she's there!"_

_Itachi let out a defeated sigh. "Just don't eat too much."_

_The younger Uchiha dragged him all the way to their destination. Through some miracle, the stand was vacant of other customers._

_"__Welcome!" a female voice called to them. The brothers turned to see Ayame and old man Ichiraku standing behind the counter._

_"__Sasuke?" Ayame turned her full attention to the eight-year-old. She didn't bother acknowledging Itachi's presence. "It's been a while."_

_Sasuke immediately forgot his brother was even there. Itachi wasn't complaining, though. His little brother tended to be the center of attention wherever they went._

_Itachi briefly thought back to their father._

_Except where Sasuke wanted it most._

_"__One chicken ramen please," Itachi requested. Ichiraku nodded in reply. Save for tomatoes, ramen was one of Sasuke's favorite foods. The only time this tended to change was when Naruto was around. Even at such a young age, those boys were already competing over anything and everything, which also meant refusing to admit they had anything in common._

_"__Eh? Nii-san? You're not eating?"_

_"__I'm fine, Sasuke. If there's anything else you want, I'll gladly order it for you."_

_"__Come on, Nii-san!" Sasuke pouted, an expression even their father had difficulty refusing. "You need to eat, too!"_

_Itachi was no exception. In the end, he ordered a bowl of ramen for himself, as well._

_"__There you go. Now Nii-san won't go hungry!" Sasuke grinned._

_Itachi couldn't help but smile. It warmed his heart to see his brother so contented._

_"__You seem to have grown a bit, Sasuke," Ayame remarked thoughtfully._

_"__Really? Kaa-san said the same thing to me just yesterday!"_

_"__Heh. Be careful, Itachi," Ichiraku warned. "Before you know it, this kid will be towering over you!"_

_"__Hi, Ayame!" A new voice broke the mood before Itachi could reply. All eyes turned to see Umino Iruka entering the shop._

_"__Iruka-san! Welcome!" Ayame smiled twice as broadly. The chuunin immediately diverted her attention away from the eight-year-old. But, thankfully, Ichiraku finished preparing Sasuke's meal just in the nick of time._

_"__Enjoy!"_

_"__Itadikimasu!"_

_Before Itachi could blink, Sasuke already gulped down his ramen like he hadn't eaten in days. Meanwhile, Itachi ate his with some composure._

_"__You should slow down, Sasuke. I'm not carrying you home if you get a stomachache." He wasn't being entirely honest about the latter part, but Itachi knew if he offered, his brother may end up faking it. For some reason, Sasuke loved being carried home._

_"__I won't get sick!" Sasuke snapped, bringing up the ceramic bowl to his lips to gulp down the liquid remains. He let out a hefty sigh once he was done, his hunger satiated. "Yummy!"_

_Itachi finished his meal slowly, Sasuke blabbering every second in the meantime. Even when Itachi paid their bill and stood up to leave, the younger Uchiha still rambled on and on._

_"__Come again!" Ayame called after them._

_Itachi didn't reply. Knowing Sasuke, they definitely would be._

_"__That was so good…" Sasuke said, drunkenly capturing his brother's arm in a way that screamed exhaustion. After a full day of training and with his belly now full, Sasuke was sleepy._

_Itachi mentally sighed at what he was about to do. Why could he never refuse this kid when he knew he should?_

_"__If you'd like, Sasuke, I could carry you."_

_"__Eh?" His brother's weary face lit up with joy. "Really?"_

_Itachi managed a brief nod before Sasuke yanked him aside and Itachi knelt down, enabling Sasuke to climb onto his back._

_Tiny arms gripped the preteen's surprisingly muscular neck in a warm embrace. Sasuke buried his face in his brother's back, gripping his own wrist while Itachi secured a hold on his brother's legs. __Sasuke fell asleep almost instantly. In a half-conscious stupor, one phrase escaped the younger Uchiha's lips._

_"__Love you, Nii-san…"_

_Itachi smiled softly as he continued walking. A part of him envied Sasuke's ability to slumber and laugh like he didn't have a care in the world. But even so, it was truly refreshing just to spend time with him._

Itachi tried not to cringe as his mind transitioned back to reality. He cherished the memory, but that was a long time ago. Back when everyone had still been alive, and back when Itachi could still bring himself to smile.

Back before he destroyed Sasuke's life.

"Itachi?" A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. The Uchiha turned to see a confused Akira staring at him.

"Are you okay? You looked like you spaced off for a second."

Readjusting his grip on the chopsticks, Itachi uttered a brief, "Hn," and resumed eating. It was odd really. He had already mentioned that the setting was similar, and the even flavor of ramen was the same as that memory. It he wasn't careful he might end up—

"Itachi! You're spacing off again!"

He held in a sigh.

_I suppose that's what Akira is here for._

"Hm." Itachi noticed Fuu eying him again. "Are you sure he's not your boyfriend, Akira?"

Akira scowled in irritation. "Yes!"

Itachi and Akira ate in silence until both of them were done. The Hyuuga girl offered a few parting words and their bill to the presumptive woman behind the counter, and, without further hesitation, she seized Itachi's wrist to pull him out of the shop.

The elderly ramen lady slowly put away the money Akira gave her. Her gaze didn't leave the duo until they were well out of sight.

Fuu smirked. "They are _so _a couple."

"Itachi! Don't walk so fast!"

The Uchiha paid her no attention as she attempted to keep up with his brusque strides. But, in the process, she nearly tripped, which caused her hold to transition from merely his hand to his entire arm. Much to his dismay, Hyuuga girl didn't bother returning to her former position.

"Wait a minute! There's something I want to get!" she exclaimed exasperatedly, thrusting her pointing finger behind them.

"Hn?" Itachi followed her gaze to one of the many stands lining the street. A cart decorated with numerous brightly painted porcelain masks caught his eye.

He promptly noted of the absence of Akira's presence beside him. Glancing back to the mask stand, Itachi relocated the Hyuuga girl in mid-conversation with the clerk there.

_So that's what she wanted._

Making sure he was out of everyone's way, Itachi quietly waited for her to return, which she did less than a minute later with a crinkled brown paper bag in her arms. He tried to ignore the annoyed look she gave him.

"What?"

"Nothing, just hold still," she replied, and, after deciding not to catch her hand, Itachi felt a small weight being attached to the side of his head by a thin red string.

Once the object was tied on, the Uchiha brought up his fingers to feel what it was.

"That mask looks good on you!" Akira grinned, stepping back to survey her handiwork.

Itachi was not impressed. He tried not to frown during his next sentence.

"Why do you feel this necessary?"

Too late. She frowned for him.

"Well, here I am all dressed up when you're in casual clothes. Besides, I thought you should get at least something from this festival. Do you not like it?"

Although Itachi couldn't see the mask given its current positioning, he had gotten a glimpse when Akira purchased it. If his memory served, which it always did, the mask was white and in the shape of a cat's face. The details of the nose and mouth were painted in black and a few other designs along the edges and below the eyes were painted in red.

Now that he thought about it, the object greatly resembled an ANBU mask.

"I appreciate your thoughtfulness."

She didn't pay attention long enough to hear his thank you. Three seconds later, Itachi was dragged toward her next destination: festival games.

Her current activity was a game Itachi recognized. It involved a paper net, a tank full of water, and many tiny goldfish occupying said water. The goal: catch the goldfish without breaking the paper net.

"Tch. Dammit!" Akira growled under her breath. Her net had broken again. And that was what, her fourth one? She was certainly determined—either that, or she just didn't know when to give up.

Before Itachi could stop himself, he opened his mouth to speak.

"You're doing it all wrong."

"Hm?" Akira glared in return. Why she saw the need to vent her frustration on him eluded him, but…

"You're practically stabbing the water. With a paper net, you need to be gentler."

"Like this?" She attempted a less abrasive motion. The net still broke.

"You were too slow."

The Uchiha stepped in behind her and smoothly placed his hand over hers to walk her through the steps, as if he were her mentor. But, despite being a good three inches away from her neck, he could feel heat radiating from the area.

_Hm…_ Perhaps he had been a bit hasty with his movement, but there was no going back now. Besides, this Hyuuga girl blushed far too easily. Not his problem.

"Not too hard," he began, guiding her net into the water, "and not too slow."

With a small flick of their wrists, the net reappeared, a flopping fish on its intact surface.

Her face lit up with joy. "I got one!" Akira exclaimed.

Itachi quickly withdrew his hand from her skin and backed away half a step. Had he waited any longer, her elated mood would be long gone and raw embarrassment in its stead. Thankfully, she hadn't taken the time to dwell on his actions and then, more than likely, mistranslate them.

_She's already angry enough with me as it is._

"Yosh! One more!"

Carefully imitating his movement, Akira plunged the net back under the surface while the stand attendant placed her first fish in a small water-filled plastic bag.

She emerged successfully, and, with a jovial grin on her face, she whipped around to flaunt her prize.

"I did it!" Why she felt the need to show him, Itachi had no idea. "Thanks, Itachi!"

"Hn." Women: confusing, indeed.

Prize in hand and with her other gripping his arm, the Hyuuga girl only managed to walk a few steps before something else—or rather someone else—caught her attention.

"Oi! Miss, wait a minute!"

A crazy photographer with lousy taste.

"Excuse me, Miss," the photographer began. Looking rather short for his age, which seemed to be in the mid-thirties, the man had short brown messily spiked hair and brown eyes. His clothes consisted of a faded white t-shirt and a tattered pair of jeans. Not at all professional-looking, but apparently he had something to say to them.

"Would you mind letting me take your picture?" the photographer finished.

"Eh?" Akira blinked in confusion. She didn't realize her arm was still linked with Itachi's.

"I couldn't help but notice how beautiful you looked tonight," he continued, doing his best to pile on the charm to make up for his muddled appearance, "so I was hoping you would allow me to photograph you."

"I'm not so sure I'm entirely comfortable with someone I don't know having a picture of me," Akira admitted, pinching her index fingers together and looking a lot shyer than Itachi expected. In the least, she finally released his arm.

"Oh no, it's not like that," he assured before pointing to his camera. "This baby automatically spits out photographs right after I take them. It's not for me, it's for you. I was hoping you'd want a memento of this night. And for just a bit more, depending on your budget, I can give you a frame to go with it."

"Hm…" Akira spared a glance at Itachi, who gave her a complaisant stare in return. "Would it cost extra to have him in with me?" she inquired, pointing at the Uchiha.

Surprised could not even begin to describe how Itachi felt at that moment.

"Not to worry, all photographs cost the same," he assured. "The amount of people in them doesn't matter. It's the quality of the picture that counts."

Akira gave him a disapproving look.

"I promise I won't overcharge you if it turns out well, if that's what you're thinking," he added. The messy brown-haired man cleared his throat. "So, what do you say?"

"I wouldn't mind," she agreed. "Itachi?"

Rather than allowing his face to betray his true emotions, he replied with a simple, "Hn."

"Alrighty then!" the cameraman grinned, raising his device. "Now to find a background…"

Just a few yards away, Akira located a certain part of the festival that had just the right view of all the lights, stands, and people walking by.

"Alright, Miss. Just a little to the left." He motioned with his hand. In reply, Akira re-linked her arm with Itachi's to move him with her.

Grinning like a complete fool, Akira squeezed his arm as she held up her aquatic duo of a trophy. Somehow, their photographer managed to position Itachi in a way that displayed the "ANBU" mask tied to the side of his head without completely obscuring his face. Quite an impressive feat, if Itachi did say so himself, although the man failed miserably in all his attempts to make Itachi smile.

As the blinding flash went off, through some miracle, neither of them blinked. Akira squealed in satisfaction at the picture and immediately had their photographer frame it without asking the price. In the end, the amount paid turned out reasonably, although Itachi still felt somewhat jipped. He had no room to complain, though, as it was Akira's money.

"That was great!" Akira exclaimed, still on the look out for things she wanted to buy. Their newly purchased photograph was safely tucked away in a plastic bag clutched in Akira's left hand while her right held the fish. Itachi's arms were completely free. "Now let's see…"

For once, their eyes stopped on the same stand. The sign: fresh dango.

"I haven't had dango in a while," Akira remarked, sparing a glance at the Uchiha. He, too, was staring with want in his gaze. Luckily for him, she could detect it.

"Excuse me," Akira began, waltzing up to the stand.

She left with a box of the most dango they would sell her in one batch. For once, Itachi favored her decision. Maybe she would let him have a few later on.

The Uchiha gave himself a mental slap at that thought.

Then again, he was already confused enough at how kind she was being. He shouldn't push his luck.

_But the dango…_

They wandered around a few more stores. Akira would buy this and that, and, when asked his opinion, Itachi would give a brief nod or shake of his head, utter an occasional "Hn" and have an otherwise a sealed mouth.

Before Itachi knew it and far before he expected, Akira was ready to head back. By then, it had been late evening for quite some time, and everything around them darkened as some of the stands closed.

"Come on, let's go home!" she called, once again, finding the strength to grab his wrist and keep a hold of everything she already carried. Oddly enough save for his "ANBU" mask, the Uchiha still held nothing. "Hurry!"

Their gait transitioned to a run. Why was she in such a hurry?

Deciding it best not to ask, Itachi followed.

The most careful thing he saw the Hyuuga girl do was place her prize fish on her dresser before chucking her other purchases onto her bed, which _he_ slept on. Itachi patiently waited at the doorway until she finished. One thing he did approve, though, was her bringing the box of dango with them.

"Come on, we need to get outside!" Akira exclaimed, not grabbing his wrist, but instead shooting him the "Follow me or die" stare. Against his better judgment, the Uchiha obeyed and followed her through the living room and out the front door.

"It's a shame Kaname and Eri can't be here for this, but I guess that's what they get for ditching me!" Akira grinned. Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"Here for what exactly?" he questioned.

"You'll see." Akira pivoted her stance so that she was facing the… wall? Before he had time to ask, the Hyuuga girl charged full speed ahead and ran up the wall until she reached the roof, the box of dango still safely in hand and intact.

"You coming?" Her voice snapped Itachi out of his trance. Without any verbal protests, he complied.

But, before he could sit down next to the Hyuuga girl, a shrill screech followed by an even louder pop caught his attention. He slowly turned around to see a bright array of colors illuminating the sky.

"During other hanabi festivals," Akira began, "Kaname and Eri always used to say my house has the best view."

_So that's what she meant._ Itachi berated himself for not realizing it sooner. And here he liked to call himself a genius.

After a gentle tug on his sleeve, Itachi grudgingly joined the Hyuuga girl sitting on the roof. It all became worth it when she cracked open the box of dango she brought with her.

"Have as many as you like," Akira said, setting down the open box in the small space between them. She grabbed a stick of the steaming treat and happily shoved it in her mouth. Still grinning like a fool, Akira placed the empty stick on the attached open lid of the box before reaching for another one.

Making sure not to look too eager, Itachi did the same. Oddly enough, just as the inviting taste of dango filled his mouth, another round of fireworks filled the sky.

"So pretty!" Akira's eyes shone with delight. Half-smiling to himself and figuring she wouldn't notice due to the distraction, Itachi reached for another dango.

"I never would have imagined you as someone who liked sweets," Akira remarked.

Swallowing what was in his mouth, Itachi calmly placed the inedible remainder of his treat on the pile with the others. He allowed a good silence to build before replying.

"I suppose things aren't always what they seem to be."

"I suppose…" Her fingers brushed against his when they simultaneously reached for another of dango. Akira allowed him first dibs, bring to mind a questioning he had be wanting to ask all day. Hopefully, she wouldn't get nasty again at his words.

"Why are you being so kind to me?"

She looked caught off guard.

"Especially after this afternoon. Why aren't you angry? It's not like you after something like that."

"Well…" she trailed off, her eyes returning to the sky to avoid meeting his gaze. "I suppose I have no reason to be."

_What the…?_

Akira consumed two more dango before continuing. "Well, I know it wasn't on purpose."

"And how would you know that?" Although it wasn't the smartest thing to do, Itachi questioned her. He wanted—no, _needed_—to know why. What did she want?

Then, much to his surprise, she laughed. She. Freaking. Laughed!

"The look on your face, silly!" Akira giggled, pressing a hand to her mouth in an attempt to suppress it. "No pervert I've ever heard of would tell me to get off them like you did."

Itachi felt his face heat up as if he had a mild fever. Worse yet, he couldn't think of a proper reply.

"You're not that type of guy. Even a girl like me can tell."

"But I embarrassed you in front of your friends."

"True, but that's Kaname and Eri. They'll understand if I explain." She paused. "Now if it had been Saito or Misaki…"

"Then we would have a problem on our hands," he finished with a smirk. "Correct?"

She smiled in return. "Good to know you catch on quickly."

The dango continued to disappear as they watched the fireworks. Only three sticks were left.

"You know, Itachi," Akira began, picking up one of the three.

"Hn?" Had Itachi realized only two dango remained, he would not have picked one up as well.

"Thank you… for, well…" The red on her cheeks seemed to hinder her speech. "Thank you for spending tonight with me. I know it wasn't high on your priority list."

"It would have been cruel to leave after your friends abandoned you." Not that he was one to criticize when it came to being cruel.

"And you know perfectly well why they did that," she muttered.

For humor's sake, he asked, "What was that?"

"Nothing!"

Awkward silence reined once again, periodically interrupted with loud booms of fireworks. Long broken tendrils of every color imaginable reached across the sky, crackling and sizzling. When stared at for long enough, the tendrils curved slightly within the span of a few seconds, coming to resemble brightly colored flowers blooming in a dark field of smooth obsidian midnight and leaving trails of wispy gray smoke in their wake.

Mesmerized with the view, both parties simultaneously reached for more dango. The _last_ dango.

Their fingers brushed again, only this time, neither one pulled away. To be honest, Itachi wasn't entirely sure why. All he knew was that if Akira didn't recoil her hand, then neither would he.

"Itachi…" His name escaped her lips as their touch eventually brought the two of them to look at each other, both curious as to why the other hadn't pulled away. Itachi found Akira's cheeks to still be blooming with light traces of pink, a bit lighter than her usual red blush. Somehow, the look appealed to him.

_What am I thinking? _Itachi wondered, staring into Akira's seemingly endless lavender orbs. He could almost see himself reflected in their pale pastel color. But, if he'd been looking closely, Itachi would be able to detect a slight trace of pink on his cheeks, as well.

"Akira…" His mouth moved without his consent. Then, also without his consent, Akira's fingers jumped from the gripping dango to resting upon his hand, just like when they had been walking together.

He gradually brought his gaze back up to the girl's face.

"Go on…" Her tone was shy and demanding at the same time. It was kind of hard to explain, just like everything about this girl. She was a complete mystery, yet, at the same time, so easy to figure out. It was nothing less than confusing.

"I…" Dammit, he was trailing off again! Then again, what was he about to say?The Uchiha searched his head, but, no matter how hard he looked, he found no rational explanation for what he did.

"I…" During the chaos, Akira leaned in to hear him better. With her hand still gripping his, their faces were now inches apart. The tinge of pink on both their cheeks had long since transitioned to a fiery red. "I…" he trailed off for a third time.

_I don't know what to say._

Akira's eyes gradually drooped as she continued leaning. Her demeanor changed from the odd shy-demanding façade, to one of complete and utter relaxation. Painful as it was to admit, the look appealed to him. Come to think of it, he also felt a bit drowsy.

Slowly closing his eyes, Itachi's body acted on its own. Unable to stop, he leaned forward, as well. The Uchiha didn't need his sight to know his location. All his other senses made up for it. He could feel Akira's breath, which smelled invitingly of dango, gently brushing the surface of his lips, almost making him want to lick them. He could practically taste it front the scent. And that sound… he had never heard Akira breathe so deeply, and yet…

He himself had never felt like this, either.

The sweet scent was overwhelming now. Not even an inch separated them. Blushes invisible to both of them burned with a vengeance on their faces, and although every instinct told Itachi to pull away, he wasn't entirely sure if he could do that.

* * *

To be perfectly honest, this is one of my favorite chapters. I always love the idea of a festival setting. Itachi's character was fun to write, as well. Despite how emotionless his character pretends to be, like every other male in the world, he has hormones, hence his body responding on its own and so on. Find out what happens next chapter. Special thanks all reviewers, favorites and watchers!

Review?


	7. Chapter 7

Well, first off, sorry this chapter took so long to upload. I'm going back to college in less than a week and housing-wise I've had a bit of obnoxious drama going on. *siiiiiiigh* I hope my roommate at college this year isn't as assumptive as my last few have been over the years.

Either way, my life aside, here's the next installment. As always, thank you very much for all the encouraging reviews, favorites and follows!

* * *

"NII-SAN!"

Itachi's eyes snapped open. His entire body froze in place, and the small distance between him and Akira ceased to lessen. Sensing something was wrong, Akira stopped and opened her eyes, too. She gave the Uchiha a painfully questioning look. Looking away, Itachi tried to make the retraction of his hand subtle but failed miserably.

"Itachi?" The blush on her cheeks vanished and the shyness in her tone replaced with confusion.

The sky was clear now. In their mutual moment of blindness, they had missed the grand finale. Now all that remained were tiny wisps of gray smoke.

Both their eyes wandered to the voice that had called out a few seconds earlier. It was a child no more than five years old walking hand-in-hand with his older teenage sibling on the path running beside Akira's house.

"Nii-san!" the child's voice said again, and he grinned like he didn't have a care in the world. Even from their position on the rooftop, both Itachi and Akira could see the brothers clearly. It tore at Itachi's heartstrings more than he could possibly describe. He couldn't help but felt jealous of that pair. Skipping and laughing so contently…

It just wasn't fair.

"That's odd. I wonder if they're lost," Akira murmured thoughtfully.

Tearing his eyes away from the scene, Itachi smothered the emotions telling him not to and he brusquely rose to his feet. His actions only baffled Akira all the more while the brothers headed out of sight, oblivious of the predicament they caused.

"We should be getting inside," Itachi said, taking a few steps before jumping off the roof and gracefully landing on the ground below. Not once did he look back, leaving Akira blank, empty and confused.

* * *

"What the hell?" The words escaped Akira's lips before she could make sense of her thoughts.

What the hell had just happened? One second Itachi had miraculously turned into one of the nicest men she ever met, and the next he was back to acting like his usual cold-hearted self.

The Hyuuga girl's palm tingled, still remembering Itachi's touch. She balled the fingers of that hand into a fist. Her eyes wandered down to the stick of dango they had been competing over earlier.

His mood had completely changed after hearing that boy call out to his brother, but what could that possibly have to do with anything?

"Dammit!"

Deeming the situation hopeless, Akira seized the last dango and shoved it into her mouth. She hardly even chewed as she forced the sticky treat down her throat. But, at the moment, even the sweet taste of dango failed to lighten the situation.

"Dammit," she murmured this time, picking up the empty box before jumping down from the roof, as well. Her landing wasn't nearly as graceful as Itachi's, but was successful, nonetheless.

Lips pursed in frustration, Akira headed inside.

* * *

Itachi sighed to himself, currently hid away in the "safety" of Akira's room.

That kunoichi would be popping in any minute now, so he knew to savor what little solitude he could get. The Uchiha irritably ran his fingers through his hair. His digits were hindered by a familiar porcelain sphere.

_Ah yes, the mask._

Carefully removing the object from his head, Itachi placed it on the other side of Akira's goldfish (the poor things had been left there) before collapsing onto the Hyuuga girl's now-void-of-shopping-bags bed.

When he first agreed to stay there, Akira had insisted he sleep on the only bed in the house for the sake of his recovery, while she agreed to take the couch in the study. It hadn't exactly been the most gentlemanly thing to do, but he complied.

Admittedly, she dropped in often to change and sometimes snatch things she need. Not that it bothered him, but, at times like these, Itachi wished she possessed a house with a spare bedroom.

On a different note, he was still trying figure out what had happened tonight. One second, he couldn't wait for it to end, and the next—the image of Akira's blushing face leaning in toward his filled the Uchiha's mind—_t__hat _had almost happened.

He should be thankful for that child. He had stopped Itachi from making a horrible mistake. But, at the same time, Itachi felt frustrated. For a second, he had actually found himself _wanting_ to kiss Akira. He had no idea whether she felt the same or had just been caught up in the moment, but, at this point, he would never know.

Or never _should_ know, anyway.

How many times did he have to tell himself that he didn't have time to get side tracked? Sasuke was top his priority. He knew that. But then why…?

The Uchiha halted his train of thought there as he ran his fingers through his hair again.

He had probably been overwhelmed by all the memories of his past. It would make sense, since he hadn't expected things to be so nostalgic. Either way, he needed to pull himself together. He didn't have time to be messing around.

"Itachi?"

The bedroom door opened, and in walked his anticipated guest. Akira didn't look angry, but, like many times he had said before, one could never tell with this girl.

"Are you in here to change?"

She nodded. "And to put away my things," she added. "Are you going to bed after this?"

"Hn." Judging by her facial expression, she took that as a yes.

"I'll do my best to hurry then," Akira assured, offering him a smile.

"Take your time. I'll wait outside."

Hopping off the bed, Itachi whooshed past and closed the door behind him before she could say anything else.

Alone in the hallway, Itachi sighed for a second time. There they went again with acting like nothing happened.

* * *

Akira exhaled in relief. Finally, she was free from the restraints of her kimono. Now in her version of pajamas, a light blue tank top and a pair of baggy black pants, Akira flopped onto what was formerly her bed in a giant heap.

_It feels good to lie here again._ That couch wasn't doing any favors for her back, but she didn't have much room to complain. Unlike Itachi, she didn't have a poisoned, should-have-been-fatal injury on her abdomen that refused to heal. And speaking of Itachi…

The memory of them nearly kissing on the rooftop flashed through her head. Curling up into a ball, Akira clutched both hands to her temples in an attempt to blot out the image.

_Why am I thinking about that at a time like this?_ It bothered her, the way he'd just frozen. It didn't make any sense to her.

_"__NII-SAN!"_

The word stuck in her head like glue to a piece of wallpaper. She couldn't shake the feeling that the little boy walking past them had something to do with Itachi's strange behavior, but what?

Akira sighed in defeat.

_Itachi, why do you have to be so confusing?_ Why couldn't he have picked some other healer to go confound?

Pushing the topic aside, Akira turned her attention to the unfortunate fish, who had been floating in that plastic bag for quite some time now.

She smiled wryly. "I guess I should let you two out now, huh?" Everything else could wait to be put away. She knew to attend to the living first, anyway. Knowing what she had to do, Akira hesitantly turned her attention to her closet and cringed. It had been a long time since she cleaned up in there.

_I should still have that, though._

* * *

A loud _crash_ rang through the air, startling the Uchiha. It undeniably came from Akira's room.

_Maybe she fell? _Possibly, but then wouldn't she have at least cried out? Besides, that hadn't sounded like a body hitting the floor. Itachi knew that sound only too well.

Throwing caution into the wind, Itachi ignored the chance that she may still be changing and flung open the door. However, what he found was quite a different story.

Much to his relief, she had long since finished changing. Instead, a much more peculiar task occupied the Hyuuga girl's attention. Currently on her hands and knees, the entire upper half of Akira's body was concealed as she leaned into the abyss of her opened closet. Judging by the dust-covered discarded objects and several articles of clothing surrounding her, she was looking for something.

"What are you doing?"

His voice broke her concentration bubble. After blinking a few times, Akira glanced back at him, but quickly returned her attention to whatever she was doing.

"Looking," she replied, her voice muffled by the walls of the closet.

Itachi held back a sigh. "For what exactly?"

"Ah-ha!" Her cry cut him short. Still on her knees, Akira stumbled back a few yards before holding up her find for him to see. It was a clear circular fish bowl.

"Those two need something to live in. I can't just leave them in the plastic bag," she reasoned, brushing off the dust from the bowl with a random cloth.

"Don't mind me asking, but why do you have a fish bowl?"

Akira shrugged. "Not a clue. I just remembered that I had it. I have no idea where I bought it. Anyway!" Triumphantly pointing her finger at her destination, Akira charged back into the closet for one more thing. She yanked out a half pound bag of what looked like mini blue-colored pebbles.

"I think I had or was planning to get a fish at one point, but either it died or I just never got around to it," Akira guessed, shrugging again. She opened the bag and poured a few of the mini pebbles into the bottom of the fish bowl before heading toward the bathroom to fill the container with water from the sink. "I should probably get fish food when I'm out at the store tomorrow," Akira rambled as if she were talking to herself.

He observed mutely as she untied the plastic bag containing the fish and delicately plopped the creatures into their new home. A smile graced her lips, brightening the Hyuuga girl's eyes. Itachi felt the heat from earlier light up his face again.

Mentally palming his forehead and praying she wouldn't notice, Itachi sidestepped as she picked up the fishbowl and spun around to leave the room.

"Sleep well, Itachi," she called over her shoulder, and, without another word, she kicked the door shut with a muffled _shuuup_.

He was alone again.

* * *

Walking a few more steps, Akira finally surrendered to her emotions and leaned her back against the nearest wall.

She still didn't have any idea what had gone on tonight, and she had been too embarrassed to ask. It was murder enough just to stand in the same room as him without losing her composure.

Sliding down to the floor and setting down the fishbowl as she did so, her hands found their way back to her temples and gripped them tightly, mussing up her loose hair in the process. That memory kept reappearing no matter how much she tried to repress it. The harder she tried to make it leave, the harder it came back.

There was no way she could sleep on this. She needed to distract herself. Better yet, she knew just the thing to do it.

Readjusting her grip on the fishbowl, the Hyuuga girl rose back to her feet and ventured to the study across the hall. Then, after setting down the water-filled container on a small wooden table between the right side of the couch and the bookcase, Akira grabbed her notes and a few research books and headed out to the dining room.

It wouldn't hurt to work on that cure for a little while. Besides, all Itachi wanted to do was leave, so she may as well do what she could to make that wish a realty. Akira tried to ignore the pang in her gut at the thought of him going and rather gritted her teeth. Why was she even bothering to care?

Placing down her books and papers on the smooth wooden table, the Hyuuga girl cracked open the first book to the place she left off yesterday and, pencil in hand, began reviewing her notes. Before Akira knew it, her mind completely focused on finding that cure.

"All right, let's see…"

She was painstakingly close to testing another potential antidote. This task was taking her an obnoxiously long time, but for good reason. Since she had literally no background on the nature of the poison save for its country of origin (Amegakure), she had no choice but to do things the hard way.

She had to identify every component in the poison and then find its neutralizer. Once she found a match for what she believed was every element, she would test her find out on the seal. If it worked, which it hadn't yet, she'd done everything properly. If it didn't, it meant that she had either missed an element or one of the neutralizers had been ineffective. To put it simply, she was back at square one.

Now, here she was, working on her latest one. She only had a few more elements to identity, which brought up another reason why this was taking so long: obtaining the ingredients needed to neutralize the poison.

Akira anxiously flipped another page in the book she skimmed.

_Come on, just this one!_ The Hyuuga girl gripped her pencil, a bead of sweat sliding down her brow. _Here it is. _This was the ingredient she needed to neutralize the last element.

Slamming the book shut, Akira scribbled something down before snatching up her notes and tiptoeing her way to the kitchen.

_I think I put it in here._ Cracking open the "don't touch when cooking" section of her kitchen pantry, Akira found her guess to be spot on. She couldn't resist a smirk as she reached for the container containing the plant she needed. Without Kaede-sensei's generous donations, none of this would be possible.

Two grueling hours later, Akira finished her new antidote. She had used up a good chunk of her supplies on this one, and, although she had a good feeling about it, she knew not to get her hopes up. After all, it was a one in a million chance that this would actually work.

Akira slowly unrolled the seal and carefully picked up the dropped she procured from another drawer in her kitchen.

"Here goes nothing," she murmured, suctioning a few drops from the brew she concocted. The dropper dangled menacingly over the seal and, for a moment, her hand froze in place.

_This had better work._ She'd have to go back to Kaede-sensei and beg for more ingredients if it didn't, but that wasn't fully the issue. Somehow, Akira regained control of her fingers. She squeezed the dropper, and the antidote seemed to fall in slow motion toward the parchment.

A soft sizzling rang out. The sound continued and gradually the black ink used to draw the seal began to fade edges first. A final puff of smoke rose up and, when it cleared, the ink was completely gone.

The scroll was blank now. It had worked.


	8. Chapter 8

Kaname yawned, but politely concealed the gesture with her hand. The three of them were roughly midway on their journey to Kaede-sensei's, all with a weary trudge to their steps.

Eri smiled softly at her tired friend. "Didn't get enough sleep?"

Kaname nodded blankly. "Stayed up too late."

"At the _festival_, I presume," Akira muttered bitterly.

"No, of course not!" The dark circles under Kaname's eyes screamed the opposite. "We were doing what we forgot to do yesterday, right, Eri?"

The dark-haired kunoichi ignored her pathetic excuse. "How did things go with Uchiha-san?"

A certain memory involving dango, her rooftop and nearly giving away her first kiss flashed through Akira's head. Even in her sleep, she hadn't been freed from the recollection of that moment.

Despite her efforts not to, Akira turned beet red. In protest, she balled her hands into fists. Kaname and Eri looked at her quizzically.

"So, what happened?" Eri repeated.

"N-nothing," she replied, stuttering somewhat. "We hung around the festival for a bit and then went back to my house to watch the fireworks."

_Sure you did._ A small voice in the back of her head scoffed.

"That's it?" Kaname sounded disappointed. She seemed to buy it, though.

"Yep."

_You won't even tell them that you finished the antidote Itachi needs, will you? _The voice reappeared again.

"I hope you had fun," Eri chirped.

Akira forced her face into a smile. "I did."

_What about Itachi? Are you not going to tell him?_

She finally replied to the unknown entity once Kaname lost interest and began rambling about another topic.

_Of course I am. That's the only reason he's here._

_He'll leave once he gets it, right?_

_And what's wrong with that?_

The voice didn't reply for a few seconds. It actually made her a bit anxious.

_Do you really want that?_

She didn't answer, and the voice said nothing more.

She didn't know what to feel anymore. She couldn't deny that she wanted Itachi to stay longer, but that was selfish. He had his own life to get back to, and the same for her. She couldn't keep something like this between her and her friends forever. Besides, Misaki knew, so the whole village could be in on it by now.

Akira bit her lip.

What was the right thing to do?

* * *

The front door slid open and in walked Akira, messenger bag slung over her right shoulder and hanging by her side. A weary, slightly annoyed expression was etched on the Hyuuga girl's face.

"Dammit, Kaede-sensei, another essay?"

Her grumbling did the kunoichi little good, but it certainly made her feel better. She had to choose a medicinal herb from a list of given options and write about it—simple enough, but it required research, which took time.

"Which should I do?"

_Burdock root._ Well, that one stuck out in her mind. If memory served, she even had a sample of it. An accurate description would certainly help in writing the damn thing.

Akira paused and thoughtfully touched her chin.

But where had she put it?

* * *

Itachi inclined his head toward the sound he just heard.

"Ah, Akira's back."

He was in the study reading, as usual, but nothing felt usual to him at the moment. He supposed that it was the side effects of that… _experience_ at the festival, but whether his fellow Akatsuki believed it or not, he did have emotions—even if he tried to smother them—and those emotions were never easy to deal with.

_I need to get over this._ Undoubtedly, but certainly easier said than done.

Flipping the page in the book he was reading, Itachi continued to focus his attention on the literature that he could barely read, anyway. Nothing detrimental would happen if he didn't greet her just this once.

A loud _crash_ rang out less than a minute later and it sounded like a body hitting the floor.

The Uchiha sighed and quickly closed his novel.

Then again, maybe not.

* * *

"Itai," Akira muttered, tentatively rubbing the back of her head. She could already feel a lump growing there.

"Everything alright?" The Hyuuga girl whipped her head toward the speaker. Uchiha Itachi stared down at her, his attempt at concern radiating as more of a glare.

"I'm fine thanks," she retorted, pushing herself to her feet. In the process, she nearly tripped over the sideways stool she'd formerly been standing on. Her hand found its way to the back of her head again.

_Itai…_

"Mind explaining what you were doing on the floor?"

His tone of voice irked her for some reason. Akira resisted the sudden urge to punch him.

"In case you didn't notice, I was _looking _for something, and I fell."

It was true. She'd been searching for the small sample container of burdock root that she had somewhere. Since she often used herbs in cooking, she first looked in her kitchen cabinet, and specifically the top shelf, which required a stool for her to reach. Then, obviously enough, she'd fallen and now here she was.

"Did you find it?"

Akira allowed herself a frown. It was certainly a better idea than trying to punch him.

"Nope. Apparently, I put it somewhere else," she admitted. At this, Akira brushed her finger across her chin in a thinking pose.

_Now where else could I have put it…?_

Then it hit her. Apparently, that fall had been just what she needed to jog her memory.

"It's in my laundry room cabinet." Akira palmed her forehead. "Dammit! How could I forget?" That was where she stored the plants she didn't use as often.

Itachi just looked at her. She couldn't fully identify the emotion, but it was probably his version of, "What the hell?"

"I have to write an essay on a certain plant for Kaede-sensei, and I was looking for it," Akira explained. "Sorry for disturbing you."

"And it's in your laundry cabinet, you say?"

She nodded, slightly confused now.

"What's the plant called?"

"Burdock root. Why?"

"Stay here. I'll get it for you."

"What?" Akira almost pinched herself to ensure she wasn't dreaming. "You'll _what_?"

Itachi gave her another Look. "Need I repeat myself?"

"It—um, no, I'm just…" she trailed off. "Surprised is all."

"You hit your head, correct?"

_Oh yeah._ Why it took her this long to become aware of her splitting headache, Akira would never know. All she knew was that now, she had one.

"So?"

Itachi eyed at her as if she were the least intelligent person on earth.

"Heal yourself, kunoichi. I'll be right back."

He briskly walked away, and Akira was left feeling exactly how he'd looked at her: Stupid. Incompetent. Unreasonable. She tended to feel like that every time he referred to her as "kunoichi." It seemed to be his way of being short with her.

Akira blinked a few times, trying to fully comprehend the situation and brush away the emotions churning in her stomach. Still confused, Akira channeled her healing chakra into one of her hands and then proceeded to begin healing that lump on the back of her head.

Nothing was making sense with that Uchiha, anymore, and, to make matters worse, she still hadn't told him about the cure.

She clenched her fists and slammed the counter. "Dammit!"

* * *

_Let's see, Burdock root, Burdock root..._ He'd never heard it, but she probably had some variety of label that he could use to identify the container.

What had possessed him to do this uncharacteristic act of kindness Itachi would never know, but he was doing it more and more lately.

Itachi sighed. He couldn't afford to let his soft-heartedness keep showing, but, knowing Akira, if she hadn't figured it out yet, she probably never would. He could thank what little luck he had for that girl's density when it came to details.

He was in the laundry room now, and from what he could tell, the cabinet was right in front of him. His eyesight was deteriorating rapidly, but he knew his way around the house well enough to not be hindered. What he did worry about was when he had to return to Akatsuki.

Pushing that thought aside, Itachi opened the cabinet near the washing machine to began his search for things resembling plant containers. As expected, he located them without a problem.

The real issue came when he pulled out one of the containers to check the label. He couldn't read the letters.

_Dammit._

Itachi slowly returned the container he picked to its original place. It took every ounce of willpower he had not to panic, and, rather, he swallowed hard.

_This shall be interesting._

* * *

Akira impatiently tapped her pencil on the table as she waited, glancing back every so often to see if Itachi had come back yet.

He was certainly taking his time. Had he fallen this time or something?

During the wait, she'd at least started the essay with her extensive supply of books, but she still wanted to have the actual plant in front of her for the finer details.

But, just before she lost all sense of patience and decency, a familiar raven head slowly made its way through her dining room doorway.

"About time."

Her impatience vanished when the Uchiha's face came back into view. He wordlessly handed her what had taken him nearly five minutes to procure. She took it from him, but her gaze never left his eyes.

Something was wrong. Akira had no idea what, but she could feel it. She momentarily looked away to read the label, and the Hyuuga girl slowly blinked, momentarily wondering if she were seeing things.

Her gut feeling of alarm only increased.

He'd brought her the wrong container. It was Bugleweed, not Burdock root. The first letters were the same, but still…

She quickly brought her attention back up to the Uchiha.

It wasn't like Itachi to make a mistake like this.

"Something wrong?"

"I…" Akira trailed off, her confidence suddenly vanishing. She regained it with a defiant stare. "You brought me the wrong one. This is Bugleweed not Burdock root."

She watched his expression carefully. A brief flash of emotion shone in his coal black eyes but vanished just as quickly. Akira had to bite her lip not to smirk.

Just as she thought. There was definitely something wrong.

"I must have grabbed the wrong one." Itachi retook the Bugleweed and disappeared in the blink of an eye

So she waited. He returned two minutes later.

"Here." He handed her the new container before she could stand to go after him. Akira quickly scanned it. She looked up at him questioningly from her sitting position.

Here came the fun part.

"Itachi, are you illiterate?"

He seemed taken aback. Not shocked, just mildly surprised. Nothing less than what she expected from him.

"I learned to read when I was three. Of course not," he replied coolly. "Why do you ask?"

She held up the container and looked at him as if to say, "Wrong one, genius."

He reached for what he'd brought her, but she abruptly pulled it out range. Itachi raised a dark eyebrow.

"Good. It's the right one." She smiled, but her eyes hardly showed it. She rose to her feet so that they were both standing. "Mind telling me what the hell is going on now?"

His expression: cool, composed, and aloof even. His eyes: that same fleeting sheen of emotion.

"Whatever are you talking about?"

"Don't act innocent, Itachi, you're not very good at it." Despite her words, his expression remained unchanging. It was impressive, really—not even a twitch.

"I repeat—"

"What the hell took you so long, and why does it seeming to me that you can't even read?"

His lips tightened. Finally, a reaction of some sort.

"I can read just fine."

Akira smiled again. That same fake smile she knew he could see right through. "All right, I believe you." Judging by his braced look, he knew this was far from over.

"Then what's wrong with you?"

He didn't reply.

_Looks like it's time for Plan B…_

"Itachi, don't make me start guessing. I'm a healer. Despite your amazing memory, you seem to forget that on a regular basis."

Still no reply. "All right then." Time to start guessing. "You can't see, can you?"

It was the best she could come up with. He could definitely read, she had no doubts about that, and he was far too well-educated to not be able to. Everything else pointed to lack of eyesight. That glassy look in his eyes, that frustrated expression he secretly wore when he thought she wasn't watching, and his tendency to not always be aware of his immediate physical surroundings—it would make so much sense.

But still, he said nothing. Akira resisted the urge to sigh.

_Men... Why did they feel the need to be so difficult?_

"Well, if you're going to be stubborn," Akira whipped out a small glass vial from her weapons pouch. A glass vial that she'd begun carrying as of yesterday. "Can you tell me what this is?"

He didn't squint, but it was evident to her that he was using all of his senses to identify everything about said object. It was nothing short of intriguing.

"Another antidote you've created," Itachi said simply. "Why do you ask, _kunoichi_?"

"Not just any antidote, _Itachi_," she corrected, finally allowing herself a smirk. "It's the actual cure. I've already tested it, and it works. The seal's been neutralized."

His lips tightened again—definitely a good sign that she was on the right track.

"I bet you already know what's going on, but I'll explain anyway, just in case your ears are just as impaired as your eyes seem to be."

Itachi said nothing, so she continued. "You want this? Start talking. I have no obligation to give it to you, and I'm willing to put up a fight if you try to take it by force."

Thankfully, he didn't seem like the type of man to resort to her last suggestion, but she could never be too sure. Unfortunately, Akira was painfully aware she didn't stand a chance against him in a real fight.

"I…" he trailed off. His expression was the closest thing to defeat she'd ever seen with him.

"You _what_, Itachi?"

"I'm not blind yet." His tone was short and abrasive. She couldn't blame him. He did currently have a woman scorning his much-treasured pride.

"'Yet?' Meaning you're getting there and you still retain some of your vision?"

A hesitant look flickered across the Uchiha's features. She patiently waited for him to speak, but, nonetheless, continued waving around the antidote like a first place trophy.

He settled for a curt nod.

"Do you know what's causing it?"

"Yes. Although there is nothing I can do."

Akira gave him a dubious look. "Really?" She didn't entirely believe him. It was just eyesight, right? "Have you checked this out with other healers?"

"Yes. Many, in fact, and none could do anything that lasted."

"Then what's causing it?"

He seemed even more hesitant to answer this question.

"An eye technique I use," he admitted. Vague, but it was more than enough.

The Hyuuga girl scoffed. "Easy. Stop using the eye technique."

"It's not so simple, Akira."

_At least he's back to calling me by my real name._

"Oh? And why is that?"

"The damage is already done. I'm going blind whether I stop using the technique or not. Besides, my occupation demands it."

Akira paused, allowing the information to sink in. She closed her eyes, exhaled deeply, and then reopened them.

"Okay…" This was more complicated than she'd thought. "What else do you know about this imminent blindness of yours?"

Itachi seemed more than ready to drop the topic. In fact, his fingers looked like they were itching to just snatch the antidote right from her hands. But, nonetheless, he answered her.

"Just that I can't stop it."

Akira repeated her relaxation technique of blinking, sighing and then reopening her eyes. Why did she even bother to care?

"You're not bleeding to death at the moment, are you?"

"No." He seemed a bit confused at her words.

"Good then. You won't die if I withhold this for a bit longer." Her smile was genuine this time. "I do believe I have proposition for you then."

"I'm listening." His voice was short again.

"I'll give you this," she held up the antidote, "that's a given."

"Then what?"

"I'm getting there!" Damn, this guy was more impatient than her at times. "If you'd be willing to elongate your stay for a bit longer, I, in turn, would be willing to see what I can do about that eyesight of yours."

"I already told you it's—"

"Incurable, I know," she cut off, glaring slightly. "But I'm willing to at least give it a try, but only if you're okay with it. If you'd like to leave," she tossed him the antidote and he caught it with ease, "go ahead. I'm just giving you an option. You don't have to take it."

"I can't just stay here without paying you anything. I've taken advantage of you enough." He sounded ashamed of it. She didn't like it in the slightest.

She frowned and planted a hand on her hip. "If I minded, I would tell you. We already agreed that you can pay me later."

Itachi's voice rose to a surprisingly loud dynamic as he snapped, "_I _mind!"

Akira froze, her eyes widening slightly. Itachi had _never_—and she meant _never_—yelled at her like that. She wasn't angry or hurt even, just… surprised. They'd certainly bickered before, but this was the first truly heated argument she'd had with him.

Akira quickly swallowed before taking in a breath to speak. "Then train me."

"Hn?"

"Train me. You know how to fight, right? You kick my ass every time, and I can tell you're holding back. Teach me how to do that, and I'll consider it payment."

"Akira, that's—"

"What? Not good enough? It's what I want, isn't it? I want to get stronger, and, I don't know for sure, but I'd guess you want to see clearly again. I say it's a fair exchange."

Itachi said nothing. If anything, he looked like he couldn't think of a decent reply.

"How long will it take you?" he finally asked.

"As long as it needs to, and, to be honest, I don't know. I'll do what I can, but if there's nothing I can do, I'll say so, and you can be on your merry way." He didn't look terribly impressed with her answer, so she specified, "But if I can, I'd estimate about the same time it took me to figure out the cure, and, if we're lucky, maybe even less."

To prove her point, Akira thrust her hand in front of him, palm open and ready to shake. "Deal?"

Itachi paused. His desire was obvious, but something was holding him back. Akira resisted the urge to sigh.

Something was _always_ holding him back.

But, he surprised her. A second later, he clasped their hands and gave hers a gentle shake. Out of curiosity, Akira stole a glance at his other hand.

He still hadn't taken the antidote. Speechless, she stared in wonder as Itachi's mouth moved.

"Deal," he said softly.

* * *

Well, there you have it. Hope it was to everyone's liking. As always, thank you all for reviews, follows and favorites!


	9. Chapter 9

"Haaa!" Akira yelled, rushing forward and, for the third time that day at the training grounds, attempted to hit Itachi with her jyuuken. The Uchiha smoothly side-stepped, and Akira barely managed to nick a strand of his hair.

Her target had been his left shoulder.

The Hyuuga girl growled in frustration. Itachi smirked at her, if one could even call it that. His expression was slight tug at the corner of his lips, and his eyes were definitely not happy enough to call it a smile. Without a doubt, he was just making fun of her.

"You telegraph your movements, and, in addition to that, you're incessantly slow."

Akira growled again. "Shut up!"

"You're the one that asked me to teach you. I am simply doing as you requested." That only irked her more.

Without turning around, the Uchiha retreated to the tree where they had placed their water bottles. He picked up hers and tossed it over before obtaining his own. Akira caught it with ease, despite how hard she was panting.

"Take a short break, kunoichi. You've earned it." Akira grinned and ran to join him. The duo sat down and, almost simultaneously, unscrewed their water bottle caps to take sips. It was her second day of training, and, by now (minus the eyesight), Itachi was injury-free. After he took the antidote, she healed him without a problem.

Now, she was working on curing his eyesight, which, although she hadn't quite had a chance to study yet, she was confident she could do. She planned to go home, take a shower, and then begin her research.

But, at the moment, Akira was having a wonderful lesson on how to endure uncensored criticism.

"You need a lot of work on your taijutsu."

Akira glowered, but said nothing.

"Your stances are average, but when you tire, you significantly slacken. Your speed is atrocious, but—"

"Anything I'm _not_ doing wrong?" Akira cut off, her eyes narrowed.

"—we can work with that," Itachi finished. "Overall, you have your basics down. That's the most important part of taijutsu."

Akira sighed. At the rate she was going, she would be lucky to start brushing up on ninjutsu in a month.

"Anyway," Itachi continued, rising to his feet. "We have a long way to go."

_Tell me something I don't know._ Akira rolled her eyes.

"Ready to call it a day?" she inquired, twisting the cap back onto her water bottle.

"Hn. It would be best."

* * *

Itachi and Akira returned home within the span of a few minutes. Akira took her shower, Itachi waited, and then they switched. Soon afterwards, lunch was ready and subsequently devoured. Once the dishes were done, it was time to get to work, and Itachi was more than ready to begin.

"So how do you plan to go about this?" Itachi inquired.

"Easy." Akira held up a book entitled _The Structure of the Human Eye._ "I compare the pictures of healthy eyes to yours, and then find what I need to fix. Then, based on where the problem is, I concoct a solution."

"Clever, admittedly, but how might I inquire do you plan to see my entire eye?"

Akira giggled, unnerving him a bit. "I'm a Hyuuga, remember? Haven't I told you about the byakugan?"

_Ah yes._ How did he forget that? Still, he'd never heard of a Hyuuga using their kekki genkai for medical purposes.

"Hn."

"But…"

"But _what_?"

"There is one minor setback," Akira began, tapping her index fingers together. Itachi raised an eyebrow. Somehow, he had a feeling he didn't want to know.

Two minutes later, they were comfortably situated in the study. The "minor setback" Akira mentioned turned out to be their positioning. Due to the area Akira would be inspecting and the fact it would take quite some time for her to gather a full evaluation, both of them agreed (albeit begrudgingly) that the best positioning for them would be on the floor with Itachi's head lying on her lap.

Akira turned all shades of red as she suggested this.

Itachi complied without a fuss, telling her that they had been in far more awkward situations during training as well as a certain instance involving showering, a heavy door and slippery bathroom floors.

She blushed harder at his reply, but recovered in the matter of seconds.

"Don't you dare fall asleep," Akira warned as she pulled her notebook and pencil within easy reach.

The Uchiha mumbled a small, "Hn."

_As if I could. You would probably attempt to murder me._ He wasn't exactly comfortable with this, either, but if it meant regaining his eyesight, it was worth it.

Nonetheless, a part of him hesitated. As nice as it would be to regain his eyesight, Itachi readily admitted to himself again and again that he deserved to go blind. After all he'd done and all the people he'd hurt to get where he was today, why should he be able to retain something so precious after destroying so much? The same went for his health. What right did he have to live comfortably?

But one more thought occurred to him: Sasuke needed him to stay strong. If he wasn't at least moderately healthy, he wouldn't be able to fight Sasuke and lose convincingly. If he were too weak, Sasuke would know something was wrong and start asking questions. And Akatsuki—he had to worry about them, as much as he hated to admit it, even more than Sasuke. If they found out about his condition, his plans were over. Therefore, allowing Akira to at least attempt to heal him was a necessary step. Training her in exchange for all this wasn't such a bad deal. In the long run, it would be his pride that hurt the most.

"Alright. Just hold still, Itachi," Akira instructed, and, although his eyes were closed, Itachi knew she was executing a hand sign. "Byakugan!"

And with _The Structure of the Human Eye_ open at her side, Akira began her research.

* * *

"Byakugan!"

The familiar change in Akira's vision quickly occurred as she locked her gaze onto Itachi's closed eyelids. She had a basic knowledge of the human eye, but certainly not enough to heal Itachi properly. In the least, she knew what to look for. As for the rest… well, that's why she'd brought along that book.

But, as she began scanning the Uchiha's eyes, Akira immediately knew his condition was far more serious than anticipated. So many nerves were just battered, mutilated even… it was unbelievable.

_How do you see at all, Itachi?_ Akira wondered incredulously.

The hard part wouldn't be figuring out how to reverse the damage, it would be actually healing it!

It took her a moment to get a hold of herself. Blinking a few times to regain her thought process, Akira turned her attention back to evaluating.

After grabbing her notebook and ensuring her textbook was opened to the correct page, Akira started scribbling. She didn't even know half of what she was writing. Compare and contrast, random notes, and even a few sketches—anything and everything that came to mind. She needed every pointer she could get. Although she was not an ocular specialist, this was going to take a while.

Itachi remained immobile the entire time. The only sign of him actually being alive was the steady rise and fall of his stomach, and even then, that was subtle. His patience amazed her.

"Alright, you can move now," Akira said softly, half-expecting him not to hear her. He had been lying down for Kami only knew how many minutes, hours—she hadn't bothered to keep track. She had what she needed, and, if necessary, she could always come back for more.

Itachi's eyes opened slowly, proving he was indeed awake. The same coal black orbs she had come to know mindlessly stared back at her. Her cheeks turned red again. Akira blamed it on their positions, considering he wasstill lying on her lap. She certainly wasn't used to this type of thing, and, not to mention it was just plain weird looking down on him like this. She had every right to blush.

Then, just as slowly as he'd opened his eyes, Itachi sat up, relieving her legs of their burden and enabling her to finally move again. But, unfortunately, her thighs felt completely numb, at the moment.

"Did you find what you needed?" he asked quietly.

Akira nodded. "It'll take some time for me to figure out a treatment strategy, though." While she spoke, Akira wobbled to her feet. "Just be patient for a little while longer, okay?"

Itachi didn't reply. Instead, he rose to his feet and mutely left the room. No insults and not a word of gratitude. She was alone, and it was time to fulfill her end of the bargain.

Akira stooped over to re-gather her things, but, in the process, nearly toppled over. The blood had yet to fully return to her legs, thus prolonging her journey to the dining room.

She somehow made it without dropping or breaking anything. The feeling was coming back to her legs, but with that feeling also came pain. At last, she collapsed to the ground and quite literally threw her books onto the empty table.

"Dammit," Akira murmured, gritting her teeth as the last of the blood-rushing pain ebbed away. The Hyuuga girl forced her mind back to reality. Then, gripping her pencil tightly, she began writing again.

It took three days—or nights, rather—for Akira to reach her goal. By day, she would go to school, come home, do her homework and daily duties and then work on healing Itachi's eyesight by night. She couldn't work on it anytime like she had with Itachi's antidote, because she had no way of intertwining her current obligation into what Kaede-sensei was having her study. Translation: currently, healing eyesight had nothing to do with her official training.

It was the afternoon of the fourth day now, and she had actually gotten some time off for a change. Weekends were certainly wonderful. Save for a short training session with Itachi that morning, she had been researching all day, completely discarding her other duties and homework, for the time being. But now it was worth it—finally, she was getting somewhere.

A smile spread across the Hyuuga girl's face. It was risky, and she could only hope that she had enough chakra, but it was a start. In theory, it should work.

She had to find Itachi. There was no time to lose.

Akira took off running before she even knew where she was going.

If she recalled correctly, Itachi had mentioned something about going off to train on his own.

* * *

"Itachi!"

The Uchiha turned when he heard his name being called. A blob of blonde hair and a female body clad in light blue caught his eye.

_Akira?_ What did she want now?

"Come with me!" she commanded.

"For what purpose, might I ask?"

"You'll see! Just come on!" She seized his wrist and, just like at the hanabi festival, started dragging him toward her destination. Itachi decided it best to not put up a fight. What was she so excited about, anyway?

He started to figure things out when he saw her grab a stack of notes and a familiar-looking book from the dining room table. Even so, there were still papers and others books scattered all over the wooden surface. Had she been there all day?

"Come on!" she urged, continuing to drag him.

Before he knew it, they were in the study, and he knew perfectly well what was going on.

"I take it you've figured out a way to heal my eyesight then?" Itachi had difficulty hiding the eagerness in his tone.

She nodded vigorously. "I'm not entirely sure if it will work, but it should!"

Itachi allowed himself a half smile. She didn't seem to mind his sweaty appearance, considering he had been out training for the past few hours. Like him, she was simply eager to begin.

"Let's get started then, shall we?"

In due time, they returned to the awkward position of Itachi's his head lying on her lap from a few days ago. Neither of them seemed as bashful this time, though. Thankfully, Akira's mind was completely preoccupied.

"I'm not sure how this is supposed to feel, but I don't think it should hurt," she began, executing a hand sign that Itachi recognized as the trigger for her byakugan. "Just hold still, okay?"

"Hn." Itachi didn't need to be told twice, and, to be honest, he didn't really care if it did hurt. Whatever happened, it could not begin to challenge the pain he had already endured in losing his eyesight.

He felt Akira summon healing chakra to her fingertips as she slowly lowered her glowing digits toward his closed eyelids. Itachi waited in anticipation for her touch, but, apparently, Akira had one more thing to say to him.

"And, Itachi…"

He irritably opened one eye.

"Don't forget to breathe."

Then he felt her fingertips touch his eyelids, and it was nothing like he could have ever imagined.

It was far different from feeling her brush his arm to mend a cut, or even when she healed that stubborn wound on his abdomen. It was warm, inviting and, overall, relaxing.

Staying awake may prove more of a battle than he anticipated.

* * *

_Byakugan! _Akira quickly focused her gaze on the Uchiha closed eyes, glaring harder and harder until she could finally see what she needed to.

_Here we go._ She would recognized those mutilated nerves anywhere.

She began with a quick scan of the Uchiha's eyes. Needless to say, whatever technique had caused his blindness left no survivors. Some parts were more damaged than others, but, without a doubt, the entire eyeball was defective in some way. If anything, his condition may have worsened since the last time she looked at him.

But she was about to change that. Summoning healing chakra to her fingertips, Akira took a deep breathe and slowly exhaled as she placed her digits over his eyelids. In turn, Itachi remained perfectly still.

The strategy she came up with was actually quite simple, really. She would locate what needed repair with her byakugan, and then use her chakra to fix it. The only hard part would be making sure not to damage anything else along the way. Eyes were a delicate part of the human body, and, when tampered with, even with good intentions, people could get hurt and possibly lose their sight forever. What had taken her so long was figuring out a way not to do that.

Then came the significance of her kekki genaki. In theory, she could do this procedure without her byakugan, but, for both of their sake, she'd spare the extra chakra to use it. It did tax her considerably to gaze at something so complicated for so long, but it was worth it. Not only did she get to see exactly what she was doing, but it also preventing her from wasting chakra on blindly healing anything she came across.

Time ticked by, slowly for her, and quickly for Itachi. Akira glanced at her notes from time to time to ensure she was doing everything properly, but it becoming harder to concentrate. Every second ate up so much of her chakra that Akira wasn't sure how long she could last. Even so, she persevered. Why, she wasn't entirely sure, but she did know one thing: she wanted to do this. She wanted Itachi to see clearly again.

But no matter how much chakra she seemed to give, the damage barely changed. It improved, but only slightly. Without a doubt, one session wouldn't be enough. And, at the moment, she was almost out of chakra.

Akira finally stopped when she felt her head begin to spin as unconsciousness threatened to overcome her. She deactivated her kekki genaki, returning her sight to normal. Unfortunately, with that normal came a splitting headache that she hadn't felt with her byakugan.

"You can get up now." Her words came out as more of a croak, but Itachi seemed to understand her. His eyelids fluttered open, showing off those insanely long eyelashes of his. He stared back up at her blankly, looking dazed.

Akira feared the worst. Had his eyesight not improved at all?

"Itachi?" Her voice went from a croak to pinched and scared. "How's your vision?"

He just kept staring at her. Staring like he'd never seen another human being in his life.

* * *

"Wow…" The words escaped his lips before his thoughts had time to re-gather. Blurting, as Kisame liked to call it, and something that Itachi prided himself in never doing.

Up until now, anyway.

_"__Wow..." _The word echoed in his mind.

Dammit. Had he really just said that?

Itachi silenced himself as he waited for Akira to react. He recognized his emotions as apprehensive, something else he rarely noticed himself feel, but he had good reason. He knew this girl well enough to know she'd take something like that the wrong way.

"Eh?" Her confused expression surprised him. "What was that?"

Relief washed over him. She hadn't heard him.

Itachi cleared his throat for good measure. "It's nice, being able to see again," he stated. "Before now, I could barely make out what you looked like, let alone my surroundings."

He wasn't lying about that. The only thing he'd been able to tell about Akira was that she was pale, her hair was blonde and her eyes were lavender. Seeing her naked had been one thing, but, even then, he hadn't been able to make out the intricate details like he could now. He'd remained blind to the delicate curves of Akira's body or the true slenderness of her wrists and that kindness sparkling brightly in her eyes. Had he been able to see that when he first met her, he may have been tempted to trust her on the spot.

_Tempted, mind you,_ he confirmed, chiding himself to always trust no one, no matter their appearance. But, overall, she just looked so… so…

"Itachi?"

Innocent. He finally found the word. Her voice could be deceiving, especially that tongue of hers that could spit out just as much poison as it could kindness, but her eyes—they were softer than any Hyuuga's he had ever seen. "Wow" might not even be doing her justice.

"How's your vision?" Akira's voice broke him out of his stupor. Since he was still staring at her, Itachi could make out concern in her eyes that made itself clearer in her tone—a concern he was growing accustomed to.

He cleared his throat again. "Clearer. Not perfect, but much better."

"Better than I expected." She gave him a small smile. "I guess I don't need to tell you we're going to be doing this a lot."

Itachi forced himself to stop staring in order to sit up. He needed to get a hold of himself. He couldn't believe half the thoughts that had just gone through his head. Turning his gaze back to the Hyuuga girl, he noticed something strange. Her eyes seemed wearier than they had a few seconds ago. To be honest, it looked like she was about to—

Too late. She toppled to the side, but managed to regain herself in time to break her fall. Akira looked back up at him sheepishly. Itachi watched as she pushed herself back up into a sitting position before shakily standing up all the way. It took her a moment to fully regain her balance. In the meantime, he rose to his feet, as well.

"Be more careful next time. Chakra exhaustion can be devastating." He knew that better than anyone.

"I will," she assured, strutting past him to make her way toward the door. "You can shower now if you'd like. I'm starting on dinner."

She left the room without another word. Itachi remained for just another minute, absorbing the scenery around him.

Showering could wait. It had been so long since he could see like this. Feeling ambitious, he walked over and plucked a book from the shelf, not caring which one it was. Hastily, Itachi opened the volume and scanned the printed characters, but, much to his dismay, the print far too small and blurry for him to see anything. Apparently, he now had a severe case of near-sightedness.

The Uchiha closed the book and returned it to its rightful place on the shelf.

_No use in getting impatient, I suppose._

After all, Akira had just finished saying it would take some time for anything drastic to happen. Even so, at the moment, he disagreed. Being able to actually make out what another human being looked like was drastic enough for him, even if he still couldn't read. He hadn't been able to engage in that pass time since he used the Amaterasu on Shizuka Aoi.

* * *

In the next five days, Itachi and Akira created a whole new routine for themselves. Akira went to school, learned all she could, came home exhausted and beat herself into the ground even more during her taijutsu training with Itachi. They'd go back home, Akira would make dinner and recover her chakra, and then they would end their evening with an intensive healing session.

Itachi was recovering day by day, slowly regaining strength and agility with his eyesight. Being able to see again meant that he could train harder, making life easier for him, and, just like everything else, harder for Akira. But even someone as observant as Itachi wasn't picking up on a thing, or at least he didn't seem to. The least he would comment about was a few dark circles forming beneath the Hyuuga girl's pale lavender eyes, circles betraying her true exhaustion.

But nothing was ever done about it, save for the occasional chide for her to get more sleep. And Akira wanted it that way. She hated it when people worried about her, and Itachi was no exception. Besides, he wasn't the type to worry about others.

She spared at glance at the man pacing her dining room.

_Right?_

Akira sighed and turned her attention back to her notes. Why was she even bothering to think about Itachi when he was standing—er, pacing—right next to her? She felt so tired but, at the same time she didn't want to turn in just yet.

Even after her breakthrough with Itachi's eyesight, both of them came to the conclusion that their current method was far too slow. So, here she was, sitting at her dining room table and working on finding something faster. Itachi seemed to be doing a bit of strategizing himself, although about what she had no idea. All she knew was that he seemed restless.

"Itachi?" Judging by the look on his face, she seemed to have interrupted something. Nonetheless, she continued. "You okay?"

"Hn," he grunted. "Just thinking."

She smiled wryly and continued writing. "Just don't let it wear any more lines under those eyes of yours. I'm doing enough work to improve them, I don't need to create an anti-wrinkle cream while I'm at it."

He cast her a dark look, but she smiled back brightly, looking fake enough to seem mocking. A mere tease that she knew he hated.

"I'm going for a walk," he said shortly.

Akira kept smiling. "Be careful. It's dark out there!" she called, not bothering to watch him leave. It was well past nine o'clock at night. What he was thinking going out for a walk at this hour was beyond her, but she didn't question. He was Uchiha Itachi. He had earned her trust enough to do as he pleased.

"Hn." The Uchiha slipped on his shoes and left without another word.

Akira kept working for another few minutes, but, without another person in the room to keep her company, her eyelids began to droop. At first, she settled for the occasional slap in the face once she began closing her eyes and nodding off. But, after a while, even that didn't work.

Akira gripped her pencil more tightly as she struggled to read the next paragraph in the book set before her.

She couldn't surrender yet! She would have plenty of time to rest later. She. Needed. To. Concentrate!

It was no use. All she could do was pray that Itachi would return in time to sober her, but he didn't. Before Akira knew it, matter triumphed over her mind. Her body slumped forward, her eyelids closed, her fingers became limp and the pencil she'd been gripping fell from her hand with a soft _clunk_.

She was fast asleep.

* * *

Itachi took a refreshing gulp of the cool night air as he ventured through the darkness, making mental notes of his surroundings along the way so that he wouldn't get lost.

Being able to see again was wonderful, but he could only ignore the price of his good fortune for so long.

Akira's health was deteriorating. To put it simply, she was pushing herself too hard, and those training sessions she demanded of him weren't doing her any good.

Beating himself into the ground and willingly seeing _his_ health deteriorate was one thing, but first handedly watching someone else do it was entirely another. It had been surprisingly difficult for him to see Akira as she continued writing note after note, reading sentence after sentence and all for his sake. It reminded him of himself, in an odd, twisted sort of way.

But that had only been one of two reasons he'd decided to take a walk at this ungodly hour, and the other was far more significant.

He attempted to take another breath, but it came out as a cough. The irritation he had been feeling in his chest earlier suddenly swelled, becoming agonizing as he hacked again. One hand flew to his mouth while the other gripped his chest. To ensure he would not trip, Itachi dropped to his knees, staining his clothes with dirt.

Despite the pain, Itachi smiled wryly as another cough shook his body. The familiar taste of iron coated his tongue as the next cough brought forth blood, staining the hand he used to cover his mouth with a sticky red splotch.

He'd been expecting that to happen sooner or later. Thankfully, it had been later enough that he was alone. Akira had seen him like this once before during the first time they trained together, only this time, he couldn't use being poisoned as an excuse.

The fit continued on for another minute, and, by the time it was done, Itachi gasped for breath. The Uchiha slowly retracted his hand from his chest, the pain finally ebbing away into a more dormant state. Its presence still remained, although it was far more bearable now.

He hadn't missed that.

Over the past few days, he'd felt great. This disease without a name had left him alone during that time. The worst he felt had been a dull ache in the pit of his lungs, and now that dull ache had returned to the excruciating pain he remembered.

Whether it was from all the training or his eyesight being healed, Itachi had no idea, although it would make sense that if his eyesight were improving, this accursed disease would do the opposite. It was like a curse, and Itachi didn't need to be a medic to know the two were connected. After all, he had contracted the first stages of this sickness shortly after obtaining the mangekyou. Most likely a combination of grief and strain, given what his situation had been back then. His mother had often said diseases of the lung were connected with grief.

Unfortunately, being an S ranked criminal aside, the longer he stayed, the more chance she had of discovering this, and he didn't want that. She'd seen more of his weaknesses than any other human being alive, and he didn't want to add to that. She'd done so much for him already, and he didn't want to give her something unpleasant like this to remember him by. He wanted to leave and be done with it, and then become nothing more than a distant memory in the dark recesses of her mind.

He needed to get back to Akatsuki before he got any deeper than he already was, and also before Kisame gave up looking for him and settled for presuming him dead. Not to mention, it was already a miracle someone hadn't recognized him yet. He had been insanely lucky to end up in a village this closed off from the rest of the world, or at least Konoha's world.

Itachi didn't want to push that luck any more than he already had. After all, he was never lucky. Whenever he managed to attain some sort of happiness, it was snatched away from him at the worst of times and rightfully so. He'd done the same to so many others. It was only fair that it be done back to him.

Itachi waited a bit longer to ensure he wouldn't return to Akira's household coughing up a storm. Perish the thought, he might end up getting blood on her carpet.

Then again, did Akira even have carpet in her house?

Pushing away the thought, the Uchiha glanced about his surroundings. It had gotten darker. How long had he been gone?

After checking his appearance (although a dimmed one) in the nearest body of water and washing the blood from his hand, Itachi headed back double time. He reached the house in minutes. Thankfully, he hadn't wandered far, and Akira had even left the lights on.

Itachi paused on his last thought.

_Wait, Akira left the lights on?_ That was unlike her, especially at this hour.

He hurried inside with that little worry tugging at the corners of his mind.

After kicking off his shoes as quietly as possible, Itachi walked into the most well-lit room in the entire house: the dining room, where he had last seen the Hyuuga girl hard at work. But what he found was another matter entirely.

Akira hadn't left the lights on. Quite the opposite, actually.

It brought a bit more than his usual half smile to his lips.

Akira was curled up face down over an open text book, her arms folded over the pages as a makeshift pillow, and her face turned to the side to enable her breathing. A pencil hovered next to her right hand, atop of a small pile of hand written notes.

She'd fallen asleep with a peaceful expression on her face.

Itachi considered waking her, but immediately dismissed the thought. All she would do is migrate to the couch in the study and crash there. He also doubted that she would look so at ease if he did such a thing.

No, he'd let her sleep. Kisame would call it his soft side showing, but Itachi preferred to call it common courtesy. Akira would likely hate him for it in the morning, but, then again, when didn't she have reason to hate him?

But one more thing caught his attention: the Hyuuga girl's choice of dress. Clad in nothing more than a light blue tank top and a pair of jeans, Akira looked cold, despite her peaceful expression. Hardly the factor to welcome a good night's sleep and especially in this autumn weather. The mutilated remains of his conscience nagged him to do something about it.

He complied. After all, no one was watching, and he would be leaving soon, anyway.

After a short detour through the hallway, Itachi fumbled his way to Akira's bedroom closet without turning the lights on. His deteriorating eyesight had been good for something—he learned how to navigate especially well in the dark.

Sliding open the door, Itachi reached for the top shelf. His fingertips brushed against something soft and fuzzy. Exactly what he'd been looking for.

He gripped the object and pulled, bringing a thick green blanket out of Akira's nightmare of a closet. Itachi closed the door and slipped back out of the room, leaving no proof of his invasion save for the absence of a certain green blanket.

He was back in the dining room in the matter of seconds, and, if his ears did not deceive him, Akira's breathing was even and deep, indicating she was still in a far off world of slumber. Itachi advanced a step toward her, and, after unfolding the blanket in his arms, he softly slipped the object over Akira's shoulders, ending her subconscious shivering.

It gave him a good feeling, watching her sleep. He didn't know why, but it felt like her peaceful expression was almost contagious.

_Almost_. He wasn't quite at peace yet. He would have to be dead for that.

Itachi turned off the light, darkening the entire house. Even so, Akira hardly stirred and merely moaned softly. He smiled to himself again as he made his way back to the Hyuuga girl's bedroom.

Come to think of it, he was feeling a bit drowsy himself. Today hadn't been very relaxing. Admittedly, it was far easier than Akira's or any typical day he endured at Akatsuki, but still, he was tired.

Once again not bothering to turn on the light, Itachi flopped onto the bed. He would change his clothes in a little while. For now, he just wanted to close his eyes. He was well-trained enough to not fall asleep. All he needed was a few minutes.

But those few minutes turned into the rest of the night.

* * *

Well, there you have it. A bit of a longer update this time.

On my end, I'm officially back in school now, and I must say my college roommate is a wonderfully kind, considerate person and also a science major, so life is great. Updates may be less frequent now that I'm learning things again, but I do have a few things prepared to appease the fans.

First off, I recently made a deviantart account for some of this story's illustrations. Some of you may be wondering what some of the characters look like, and, although I regret to admit that none of the drawings are colored, hopefully the images will still help those interested to better picture my characters and scenarios in his or her head.

All that to say, my account name is sciencekills713. Somehow, the name "sciencekills" was already taken on deviantart.

Thank you all very much for reading. Reviews make my day, and I must admit the ones from last chapter were especially encouraging (although I am not at all discounting all of those who reviewed beforehand).

Next chapter coming soon~


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